The knower of God [1] is the one who sees the Real [2] in everything, and sees everything…

The knower of God [1] is the one who sees the Real [2] in everything, and sees everything from the Real, and sees everything with the Real, and sees everything as the Real [3].

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. And may Allah bless our master Muhammad and all his family. Praise be to Allah, who illuminated our inner sight with the light of knowledge and the shining rays of gnosis ¹; and praise be to Allah, who brought us out of the darkness of ignorance and made it a ladder by which we ascend to the stations of proximity and nearness. And praise be to Allah, who guided us through it to Him, led us through it to Him, and made known to us through it the realities of His majestic attributes by evidence and proof. And praise be to Allah, who purified our innermost secrets ² through it from the accidents of doubts and illusions, and removed from them the misgivings of base beliefs and the whisperings of Satan. And praise be to Allah, who taught us through it the rulings of the Muhammadan Sharia and the methods of the Ahmadine path ³, according to what the Sunna required and the Qur'an brought. And praise be to Allah, who made it for us the life of hearts and a lamp by which light is sought in all realms; its light shone upon spirits and the outward forms of bodies. And praise be to Allah, who made reflection upon it equivalent to fasting and standing in prayer, and studying it revives landmarks and strengthens family ties. For through it, truth is distinguished from falsehood, the lawful from the unlawful is known, the rites of Islam appear, and the paths of religions become clear. And praise be to Allah, who made it the imam of action and made action its follower; thus the fortunate are inspired by it, while the people of misery and abandonment are deprived of it. And praise be to Allah, who granted us success to act by it and made learning it and teaching it for us a means of fear, seeking it an act of worship, discussing it a glorification, and subjected to it the limbs of the body. And praise be to Allah, who made research in it a jihad, teaching it to those who do not know it a charity, and giving it to its people a means of nearness by which we reach the pleasure of our Master, the King, the Judge. And praise be to Allah, who made it for us a cause for entering Paradise, a companion in loneliness, a friend in exile, and a converser in solitude. And a guide to pure monotheism and perfection of faith. And praise be to Allah, who made it for us a weapon against enemies and an adornment among friends; by it He raises some people and makes them leaders and imams in goodness, followed in secret and in public. And praise be to Allah, who made the scholars inheritors of the prophets, with only one degree between them and the prophets. And He made their ink weighed on the Day of Resurrection against the blood of martyrs; thus their scale outweighs the blood of martyrs, so they enter Paradise and are clothed in the garments of pleasure and contentment. And praise be to Allah, who made them the chosen ones and the masters of the elect; from their lights is borrowed, the angels desire their company, wipe them with their wings, and everything seeks forgiveness for them, even the fish of the sea, its insects, and all animals. And praise be to Allah, who informed us of the virtues of deeds through the tongue of our beloved, our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And He made them for us a means for erasing sins and offenses, and a cause for attaining pardon and forgiveness. And praise be to Allah, who honored us with sending blessings upon him and made it for us a security from fears in this world and the Hereafter, and an intercession on the Day of Gathering and Scattering, and at the crossing of the Sirat ⁴ and the setting up of the Balance. So how fortunate is the one who attains those lofty and high stations, wins those scientific ranks, is unveiled to him the subtleties of their divinely-bestowed esoteric meanings ⁵ and the hidden secrets of their divine unseen realities, and is granted success to act by their legal Sunni rulings and to stand at their prophetic boundaries, and is illuminated by the light of their luminous, starry pearls, and is freed from the shares of his commanding soul and its human foolishness, so that his tongue becomes moist with the remembrance of his Lord, uttering it morning and evening. And he enters the garden of gnoses ⁶ illuminated by the flashes of secrets and the subtle gifts of holiness. And he drinks the fullest cup from the support of his beloved, our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the best of creation. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, with an eternal, everlasting, continuous, accepted, and pleasing blessing, which will be a treasure for us that we find at the end of our term and the arrival of death, and whose blessing we will reap on the Day of Gathering and Scattering, and on the day when secrets are tested and ugly deeds and base actions are exposed. By Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. * And never cease seeking knowledge, striving for it, * Knowledge is light, so be one who kindles light from it. * So strive to attain it and rise to reach it, * For not like me is one who is led and one who leads. * Gird yourself with determination to obtain its elusive quarry, * And savor the salt in attracting it, perhaps. * And lower your wing humbly in seeking it, * For knowledge, if you seek it, is the best thing sought. * And peruse books and strive in studying them, * For often has the one who studied attained the sought goal. * And shun sleep in extracting its essence, * For the one who dozes does not win the sought goal. * And let your hope be in grasping its subtlety, * For hope is considered the outcome for one who ponders. * For not like one who hopes for something is one who despairs. * And do not despair of winning [ILLISSIBLE] * The scholar is tended even if his garments are worn, * While the owner of wealth is tended for what he wears.

A book of great worth and high standing, renowned for its blessing and title, elegant in style, wondrous in composition and perfection. Its jewels are strung in the thread of exhortations and counsels, like pearls in necklaces of gold. It contains prophetic counsels, chosen wisdoms, and lofty hadiths on the virtues of deeds, the honor of knowledge and its people, the reward of the bearers of the Qur'an, and glad tidings that make hearts desire obedience and remove worries and griefs, bringing in breezes of joy and congratulations. Added to it are choice supplications and entreaties that natures approve and ears find pleasing. The aim in all this is the Face of Allah the Great, and sincere advice to myself, my children, my family, my loved ones, and all brothers. We ask Allah Almighty to benefit through it, in this world and the Hereafter, whoever reads it, hears it, or strives to obtain it by writing, recitation, and attentive presence. By the rank of His Beloved, our Master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the lamp of the worlds, the bride of the gardens of Paradise. So, O Allah, bless him and his noble family, and his Companions, stars of emulation and lamps of the Qur'an, with a blessing that seals for us with the seal of faith, and settles us thereby in the abodes of success, happiness, and security, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the means of means, the fountain of knowledge and virtues, who said: "Whoever learns knowledge, humbles himself in it, and teaches it to the servants of Allah, seeking thereby what is with Allah, there will be no one in Paradise with a better reward than him, nor a greater station, nor a higher noble degree, except that he will have the fullest share and the most honorable abodes." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those whose commands the proud souls submit to, the most beneficial of those whose supplication and pure words cure those with inner diseases, who said: "No man's feet become dusty in seeking knowledge except that Allah makes his body forbidden to the Fire, and Allah's angels seek forgiveness for him, and if he dies while seeking it, he dies a martyr, and he will have a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and Allah will grant intercession for him in his grave for those he intercedes for, and he will illuminate forty graves to his right, forty to his left, forty behind him, and forty in front of him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad, the best of those through whom You removed coverings from hearts, the most excellent of those who clarified the path of religion and established it, who said: "I said, 'O Gabriel, which deeds are best for my community?' He said: 'Knowledge.' I said, 'Then what?' He said: 'Looking at the face of a scholar.' I said, 'Then what?' He said: 'Visiting a scholar. Whoever writes knowledge for Allah, intending thereby the reform of himself and the Muslims, and does not seek any worldly gain, I am his guarantor in Paradise.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the possessor of the crown, the diadem, and the turban, Your Beloved upon whom the spider wove and the cloud shaded, who said: "Knowledge and prayer are between. So see from whom you take this knowledge, and how you perform this prayer, for you will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved of pure soul and secrets, Your saint of swift succor and victory, who said: "Whoever learns a chapter of knowledge, acting upon it or not, is better than a thousand supererogatory rak'ahs," and said: "Attending a gathering of knowledge is better than visiting a thousand sick people, attending a thousand funerals, a thousand pilgrimages, and a thousand 'umrahs." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, Your Beloved of high rank and station, Your chosen one named the Prophet of Mercy and the Prophet of Repentance, who said: "Learning knowledge and teaching it for Allah is fear, seeking it is worship, discussing it is glorification, teaching it to those who do not know is charity, and giving it to its people is a means of nearness." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those whose essence was strung in the thread of prophethood and arranged, the most majestic of those whose station became known for blessing and was known, who said: "Whoever is overtaken by his death while seeking knowledge, he will meet Allah and there will be between him and the prophets only the degree of prophethood." And he said: "Seek knowledge even unto China, for seeking it is an obligation upon every Muslim." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the light of everything and its guidance, the best of those who held the reins of glory and ascended to its heights, who said: "When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, graze." They said, "O Messenger of Allah, what are the gardens of Paradise?" He said: "Gatherings of knowledge." And he said: "No scholar goes out in search of knowledge, fearing that that knowledge might die or be abrogated, fearing that it might be effaced, except that he is like a warrior in the way of Allah." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the master of those who came later or earlier, the most generous of those whose sea overflowed with gifts of secrets and surged, who said: "Knowledge and wealth conceal every fault, while ignorance and poverty reveal every fault." And he said: "Knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge in the heart, that is beneficial knowledge; and knowledge on the tongue, that is Allah's argument against the son of Adam." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the light of insights and verified unveilings, the lamp of consciences and successful hearts, who said: "Knowledge is treasures, and its key is asking. So ask, may Allah have mercy on you, for four are rewarded in it: the asker, the teacher, the listener, and the one who loves them." And he said: "Everything has a path, and the path to Paradise is knowledge. Spreading knowledge is better than charity." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those whose obedience and guidance You met with pleasure, the most noble of those whose desire and aim You fulfilled in what he asked of You, who said: "Learn knowledge, and learn for knowledge tranquility and dignity, and be humble to those from whom you learn." And he said: "Hold fast to this knowledge before it is taken away and before it is raised up. The scholar and the learner are partners in reward, and there is no good in the rest of the people after that." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those whom You made a firm pillar for Your religion, the most excellent of those who took Your upright law as a path and way, who said: "Advise each other in knowledge, and let none of you conceal anything from another, for betraying it is worse than betraying wealth." And he said: "Any youth who grows up seeking knowledge and worship until he grows old, Allah will give him on the Day of Resurrection the reward of seventy-two truthful ones." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Patron Muhammad and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the mercy to near and far, the fountain of sweet openings, the sources and watering-places, who said: "Hold fast to this knowledge before it is taken away and before it is raised up. The scholar and the learner are partners in reward, and there is no good in the rest of the people after that." And he said: "Everything has a path, and the path to Paradise is knowledge. Spreading knowledge is better than any charity." And he said: "One jurist is more severe against Satan than a thousand worshippers."

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of the learned scholars ⁷, the exemplar of the awtad ⁸ and the perfect ajras ⁹, who said: "The people have not given a charity better than spreading knowledge." It is related from one of the sages that he said: "Adhere to knowledge, for if you have wealth, it is your adornment, and if you have no wealth, it is your wealth. Knowledge is better than wealth, because knowledge guards you while you guard wealth, and knowledge increases when spent, while wealth decreases when spent." And he said: "O my son, adhere to knowledge and good manners, for they are two treasures that do not decay, and two lives that do not perish. O my son, learn knowledge, for if you are the young of a people, you will become the elders of another people." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad (12 times), the master of mankind and the exemplar of the upright banners ¹⁰ with sound chain and tradition, who said: "Luqman said to his son: 'Keep the company of scholars, and listen to the words of the sages, for Allah Almighty revives every dead heart with the light of wisdom, just as He revives the dead earth with the downpour of rain.'" So bless him, O Allah, and his family, the masters of the people of the desert and the city, and his Companions, the people of care, might, and victory, with a blessing by which You repel from us every affliction and harm, and save us from overwhelming calamities and evil decree and destiny, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. And for our master, the pious, pure, ascetic, erudite scholar, the gnostic ¹¹, the righteous saint ¹², the sincere advisor, Abu Abdullah, our master Muhammad, known as al-Salih ¹³—may Allah sanctify his soul and grant him a spacious place in Paradise—the exaltation of the honor of knowledge and the encouragement to learn and teach it. Learn, for nothing acquired equals knowledge; a man of knowledge is not equal to an ignorant one. The knowledgeable is loved in every state, while the ignorant is borne without profit. Indeed, a person who prefers ignorance and wealth over knowledge is, in my view, foolish and senseless. All honor is only for the scholar, through whom knowledge shines in the gatherings of people. Indeed, the people of knowledge are a venerable folk, and the light of those with understanding shines without setting. So be diligent with knowledge, never forget its study, day and night, following the ways of the virtuous. Leave aside what distracts you from it, and do not be a sleeper, for only the base choose slumber. Keep company with the collections of sciences ¹⁴, for they are the sweetest companion, dispelling troubles. They give you knowledge unattainable without them, and inform you of the state of bygone centuries. So be constant with them, for they are comfort in solitude and the best companion, keeping secrets perfectly. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, who said: "Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise." And he said: "Adhere to knowledge, for knowledge is the friend of the believer, forbearance is his minister, intellect is his guide, action is his steward, gentleness is his father, softness is his brother, and patience is his army." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose hearts are filled with love and affection for him, and the most excellent of those who guided servants to Allah and led them to the paths of His guidance, who said: "There will come to you people seeking knowledge; when you see them, say to them: 'Welcome to the testament of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,' and teach them." And he said: "Facilitate knowledge through writing." And he said: "The knowledge of the inner ¹⁵ is a secret from the secrets of Allah Almighty and a decree from the decrees of Allah (14) that He casts into the hearts of whomever He wills among His servants." So bless him, O Allah, and his family, with a blessing by which we become among those upon whose hearts You have poured the rivers of His support and aid, and whom You have caused to reach the utmost of Your pleasure and his pleasure, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the mercy to the merciful and the distant, and the imam of the successful and happy imams, who said: "Allah Almighty said: 'O company of scholars, I have not placed My knowledge among you while intending to punish you, nor to admit you to Paradise regardless of your deeds. Three will intercede on the Day of Resurrection: the prophets, then the scholars, then the martyrs.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of the people of Najd and Tihama, and the best of those by whom Taybah and Ramah were honored, who said: "The sleep of the scholar is worship, his visiting is glorification, his breath is charity, and every drop that falls from his eyes extinguishes a sea of the fire of Hell." And he said: "Whoever dishonors the scholar has dishonored knowledge, and whoever dishonors knowledge has dishonored the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace (15), and whoever dishonors the Prophet has dishonored Gabriel, and whoever dishonors Gabriel has dishonored Allah, and whoever dishonors Allah, He will dishonor him on the Day of Resurrection." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the divine openings ¹⁶ and gifts, and the best of those by whom the scenes and processions are adorned, who said: "Indeed, the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge, pleased with what he does. Indeed, the scholar is asked forgiveness by those in the heavens and the earth, even the fish in the water. The superiority of the scholar over the worshiper is like the superiority of the moon over all other stars." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of every pious and pure one, and the most generous of every chaste and noble one, who said: "O Allah, raise my successors." Ibn Abbas said: "Who are your successors, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Those who come after me, who transmit my hadith and my sunnah."

After me, they will visit my hadiths and teach them to the people." And he said: "May Allah brighten the face of a person who hears a hadith from us and conveys it to others, for perhaps one who carries fiqh ¹⁷ to one who is more knowledgeable than him, and perhaps one who carries fiqh is not a faqih ¹⁸." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad ¹⁹, Your beloved renowned for miracles and fame, and Your prophet observed by the eye of Your care in rest and sleep. Who said: "Beware of narrating hadith from me except what you know. Indeed, my womb is Islam and the woman. It was said: 'How shall we act, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'Present my hadith to the Qur'an; whatever agrees with it is from me, and I said it.'" And he said: "It will be said to the worshiper on the Day of Resurrection: 'Enter Paradise.' And it will be said to the scholar: 'Intercede for whomever you wish.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose blooming garden and meadow longing souls find rest, and the most majestic of those whose sweet watering-place and basin tasting spirits drink. Who said: "When a scholar seeks the face of Allah through his knowledge, everything fears him." And he said: "The scholar is the trustee of Allah on His earth." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You provided among Your prophets with righteousness and respect, and the most majestic of those whom You granted a lofty station and rank in the highest paradises. Who said: "Hasten in seeking knowledge, for a hadith from the chest ²⁰ is better than the world and what is upon it, and an hour of a scholar reclining on his bed looking into his knowledge is better than the worship of a worshiper for seventy years." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom creatures cling for refuge and protection, and the most generous of those through whose rank and highness the sinner seeks intercession. Who said: "May Allah have mercy on a person who hears a hadith from us and retains it." And he said: "Two rak'ahs ²¹ from a scholar are better than seventy rak'ahs from one who is not a scholar." And he said: "Two rak'ahs from a scholar who knows Allah are better than a thousand rak'ahs from one who is ignorant of Allah." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who opened the closed ²² of Islam and broke its seal, and the most majestic of those who unveiled the face of the religion and removed its veil. Who said: "An hour of a scholar reclining on his bed looking into his knowledge is better than the worship of a worshiper for seventy years." And he said: "Allah does not take a scholar from this ummah ²³ except that it becomes a breach in Islam that cannot be filled until the Day of Resurrection." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad ²⁴, the light of everything and its guidance, and the best of those who held the reins of glory and ascended its heights. Who said: "The example of scholars on earth is like the stars in the sky; they are guided by them in the darkness of land and sea. When the stars are obscured, the guides are likely to go astray." And he said: "No scholar goes out in search of knowledge, fearing that knowledge might die or become obsolete, fearing that it might be forgotten, except that he is like a warrior in the path of Allah." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the desire of tranquil souls, and the best of those whom You made a mercy and a shield for the weak. Who said: "On the Day of Resurrection, pulpits of gold will be arranged, covered with garments of silver, adorned with buttons, rubies, and pearls, draped with sundus ²⁵ and istabraq ²⁶. Then a caller from the Most Merciful will call: 'Where are those who conveyed knowledge to the ummah of Muhammad, seeking thereby the face of Allah? Sit on these pulpits; no fear shall be upon you until you enter Paradise.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose glance brought happiness to men, and the most excellent of those to whom journeys and travels are made for visitation ²⁷. Who said: "When the son of Adam dies, his deeds cease except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge in the chests of men, or a righteous child who prays for him." And he said: "The seven heavens and those in them and those above them wept for a mighty one humiliated, a rich one impoverished, or a scholar toyed with by the ignorant." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the pearl of noble honor and the deep sea of abundant generosity. Who said: "The scholars are the heirs of the prophets. The prophets did not leave behind dinars ²⁸ or dirhams ²⁹; they only left knowledge. Whoever takes it takes an abundant portion." And he said: "Follow the scholars, for they are the lamps of the world and the lanterns of the Hereafter." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the star of virtues and the full moon of darkness, and the best of those who seek refuge in Your care from the strike of swords and the thrust of spears. Who said: "Indeed, the seeker of knowledge is surrounded by the angels with their wings, then they mount upon one another until they reach the lowest heaven out of love for what he seeks." And he said: "Whoever shelters in my ummah a diligent one to establish a sunnah ³⁰ or to repair a breach ³¹, he will be in Paradise." ^{32 33} O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the musk of fragrant collars, the fragrant scent, and the perfect in virtues, pious and pure. Who said: "All people pray for the teacher of good, even the fish of the sea." And he said: "The best of my ummah are its scholars, and the best of its scholars are the merciful ones. Indeed, Allah Almighty forgives the scholar forty sins before forgiving the ignorant one sin. And the merciful scholar will come on the Day of Resurrection with his light shining, walking between the east and the west as the brilliant star shines." So bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing by which we become among those upon whose hearts the flashes of Your clear light have shone, and upon whom You have bestowed the meanings of Your essential sciences ³⁴ and the gifts of Your hidden secret. By Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. The perfection of a youth is through knowledge, not through positions, * And the rank of the people of knowledge is the highest of positions. Through them they inherited the knowledge of the prophets, so every traveler in darkness and wayfarer followed them. There is no virtue except inheriting the law of Ahmad ³⁵, * And no virtue except in acquiring merits, And research, verification, clarification of difficulties, * Editing, proof, and suppression of vanquishers, And mastery of the verses of the Book and the Sunnah ³⁶ * That came from the Messenger of Allah, son of Ghalib ³⁷. When a person becomes a covenant-keeper of sciences, * All darknesses become illuminated for him.

And every doubt and ambiguity is removed from him, and lights appear to him from every side. It is the highest rank, exalted in its people to a resting place above the sphere of the stars. So take it if you are a seeker of guidance; you will attain hoped-for good, both immediate and in the end. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the pulpit and the Basin ³⁸, the blooming flower of the garden and the meadow of gnoses ³⁹, who said: "The Qur'an is an intercessor whose intercession is accepted, and it is a truthful advocate. Whoever places it before him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever places it behind him, it will drive him to the Fire." And he said: "The superiority of the Qur'an over all other speech is like the superiority of Allah over all His creation." And he said: "The house in which the Qur'an is recited is seen by the inhabitants of heaven as the stars are seen by the inhabitants of earth." ⁴⁰ O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You adorned in form and meaning, and the most generous of those whom You made a fortress and security for his community, who said: "When one of you loves to speak with his Lord, let him recite the Qur'an." And he said: "Beautify the Qur'an with your voices, for a beautiful voice increases the Qur'an in beauty." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the lamp of the darkness of night, and the best of those who ascended the stations of spiritual ascent ⁴¹ and traversed, who said: "Take care of the Qur'an, for by Him in Whose hand is my soul, it is more prone to escape from the hearts of men than a camel from its hobble." And he said: "When a servant completes the Qur'an, seventy thousand angels pray for him at its completion." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the eye of comprehensive mercy, and the degree of perfect success, who said: "A man's recitation of the Qur'an without the codex ⁴² is a thousand degrees, and his recitation from the codex is multiplied to two thousand degrees." And he said: "Your recitation by looking [at the codex] is multiplied over your recitation by heart, because the written [recitation] ⁴³ is superior to the supererogatory." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the blessing of life and age, and the treasure of gain and store, who said: "The example of the believer who recites the Qur'an is like that of a citron: its fragrance is good and its taste is good. The example of the believer who does not recite the Qur'an is like that of a date: it has no fragrance but its taste is sweet. The example of the hypocrite who recites the Qur'an is like that of a sweet basil: its fragrance is good but its taste is bitter. The example of the hypocrite who does not recite the Qur'an is like that of a colocynth: it has no fragrance and its taste is bitter." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You supported with proofs and miracles, and the most generous of those through whom You benefited creation and repelled harms, who said: "The Hawamim ⁴⁴ are seven, and the gates of Hell are seven. Each Ha-Mim will come and stand at these gates, saying: 'O Allah, do not admit through this gate anyone who believed in me and recited me.'" And he said: "If the Opening of the Book ⁴⁵ were placed in one scale and the Qur'an in the other scale, the Opening of the Book would outweigh the Qur'an seven times." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad ⁴⁶, the possessor of the protected bestowed secrets, and the treasure of the stored divine sciences ⁴⁷, who said: "No people gather in a house from the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, but that the angels surround them with their wings, tranquility descends upon them, mercy envelops them, and Allah mentions them to those with Him." And he said: "The Book of Allah is His rope extended from heaven to earth." And he said: "The Qur'an is a riches after which there is no poverty, and no riches without it." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the illumined heart and the sound breast, the pure religion and the straight path, who said: "The Qur'an is the provision and the manifest light, the enduring sustenance and the straight path." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the light of insight for the people of witnessing and designation ⁴⁸, and the one who bore the burdens of prophethood while Adam was between water and clay, who said: "The Qur'an consists of one million and twenty-seven thousand letters. Whoever recites it patiently and seeking reward will have for each letter a spouse from the wide-eyed maidens ⁴⁹." ⁵⁰ O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose beauty of countenance made the eyes marvel, and whose fragrance perfumed the worlds, who said: "The bearer of the Qur'an is the bearer of the banner of Islam. Whoever honors him has honored Allah, and whoever dishonors him, upon him is the curse of Allah." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the crown of the messengers, the imam of the saints, the mark of the virtuous, and the fame of the hidden ones ⁵¹, who said: "When a man recites the Qur'an and is mindful of the traditions of the Messenger of Allah, and there is a natural disposition ⁵², he becomes a vicegerent from among the vicegerents of the prophets." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who bowed and prostrated to You, and the most honored of those who devoted themselves exclusively to Your worship, who said: "The enemy, by the Lord of Paradise, is the enemy of the Qur'an. Whoever enters Paradise from among those who recited the Qur'an, no one is above him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those on whose face appeared the signs of goodness and joys ⁵³, and the most generous of those through whom the calamities of evils and harms were repelled, who said: "Everything has a heart, and the heart of the Qur'an is Ya Sin. Whoever recites Ya Sin, Allah writes for him, by its recitation, the recitation of the Qur'an ten times." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of the Emigrants and Helpers, and the best of those who stood for You in the darkness of night and the depths of dawn, who said: "The bearer of the Book of Allah has a right to two hundred dinars annually from the treasury ⁵⁴." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the elite of the pure heavens, and the imam of the excellent scholars ⁵⁵, who said: "Recite Surah al-Lahif ⁵⁶, for it is mentioned in the brightened Torah, because it whitens the face of its reciter on the day when faces are whitened; and recite al-Fa'ila ⁵⁷, for it interposes between its reciter and the Fire." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who commanded the obligatory and forbade the disliked, and the most generous of those to whom creatures seek refuge through his rank and hope, who said:

Whoever recites Surah al-Hadid, Surah al-Waqi'ah, and Surah ar-Rahman will be called in the Malakut ⁵⁸ of the heavens as a dweller of al-Firdaws ⁵⁹. And he said: "Surah al-Qadr ⁶⁰ is called in the Torah al-Mubayyidah ⁶¹ because it whitens the face of its reciter on the day when faces turn black." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved, pure in speech and remembrance, the best of those by whose rank intercession is sought in times of distress and hardship. He said: "The reciter of Surah al-Takathur ⁶² is called in the Malakut the performer of gratitude." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whose light of obedience You erased the darkness of disbelief and polytheism, and the greatest of those by whose intercession You saved his community from the pits of ruin and destruction. He would not sleep until he recited Surah al-Isra', Surah al-Zumar, Surah al-Sajdah, and Surah al-Mulk ⁶³. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your intimate friend, lofty in rank and station, Your chosen one described in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the Criterion ⁶⁴. He said: "Everything has a summit, and the summit of the Quran is Surah al-Baqarah. In it is Ayat al-Kursi ⁶⁵, the chief of the verses of the Quran." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the flower of fragrant, breezy gardens and orchards, the sea of generosity overflowing with gifts of bounty and beneficence. He said: "Everything has a bride, and the bride of the Quran is Surah ar-Rahman." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose rank You exalted and praised, and for whose love I would sacrifice my soul, my family, my children, and all that I possess. He said: "By Him in whose hand is my soul, nothing like Surah al-Fatihah ⁶⁶ has been revealed in the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, or the Criterion. It is the Seven Oft-Repeated Verses and the Mighty Quran that I have been given." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whom the carpet of the earth was adorned and by whom the backs of the people of deviation and violence were broken. He said: "Whoever recites the Opening of the Book and the concluding verses of Surah al-Baqarah in a house, no devil will approach it for three nights. Surah al-Baqarah and Surah Al 'Imran will intercede for their reciter on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, Ayat al-Kursi has two tongues and two lips, sanctifying the King at the Leg of the Throne ⁶⁷." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah honored and preferred over all creatures, and whose law He made manifest over all laws, and whom He sent with the true religion. He said: "Whoever recites Surah Ya Sin ⁶⁸ in a night seeking the face of Allah, He will forgive him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the delight of the eye, the best of those whom He created free from every defect and blemish. He said: "Whoever recites 'Say: He is Allah, the One' ⁶⁹ one hundred times every day, the sins of fifty years will be wiped away from him, unless he has a debt." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the sword of might and victory, the best of those whose aid is sought on the Day of Resurrection and Gathering. He said: "Surah al-Mulk is the protector and the savior; it saves its reciter from the punishment of the grave." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the source of generosity and beneficence, the sun of prophethood with clear proof and evidence. He said: "'When the earth is shaken' ⁷⁰ is equivalent to half of the Quran; 'Say: He is Allah, the One' is equivalent to one-third of the Quran; 'Say: O disbelievers' ⁷¹ is equivalent to one-quarter of the Quran; and 'When the victory of Allah comes' ⁷² is equivalent to one-quarter of the Quran." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those to whom visitors yearn and long, and by whom the hearts of lovers rejoice and find peace. He said: "Whoever wishes to see the Day of Resurrection as if with his own eyes, let him recite 'When the sun is wrapped up' ⁷³, 'When the sky is split open' ⁷⁴, and 'When the sky is rent asunder' ⁷⁵." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who trod the straight path and followed it, and who led the reins of souls and dominion. He said: "Whoever recites Surah al-Dukhan ⁷⁶ in a night, seventy thousand angels will seek forgiveness for him by morning." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the path of right guidance and the best of those who ascended the stations of might and divine care. He said: "Whoever recites Surah al-Waqi'ah will never suffer poverty. And in the Musabbihat ⁷⁷ there is a verse equivalent to a thousand verses." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those who prostrated to You and drew near, and the most excellent of those who devoted himself to Your pleasure and gave. He said: "It will be said to the companion of the Quran: 'Recite, ascend, and recite melodiously as you used to recite in the worldly abode, for your station will be at the last verse you recite.'" And he said: "Indeed, Allah has people from among the earth. It was asked: 'Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'The bearers of the Quran are the people of Allah and His elite. Allah will remove from its reciter the evil of this world and the Hereafter, and from its listener the affliction of this world. And hearing a verse from the Book of Allah is better than a treasure of gold.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whom the masters of ecstatic states and attraction are moved, and to whom the souls of the people of longing and nearness yearn. He said: "On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will bring the Quran in the most beautiful form. The people will see it and say: 'This is...'"

And where the youth is terrified in its darkness, from the grave he meets a smiling tooth ⁷⁸. There, a graveyard, not a garden, gives him joy, and for his sake, at the pinnacle of glory, he beholds. Does he plead in his land for his beloved? And more worthy is he of a request conveyed to him. So, O reader who clings to it, a field for him in every state, honored. Congratulations and good health to your parents; upon them are garments of lights from the crown and ornaments ⁷⁹. What do you think of the offspring at his recompense? Those are the people of Allah ⁸⁰ and the elite, the assembly. They are the people of righteousness, beneficence, patience, and piety; the Quran came detailing their traits. O Allah, O He who entrusted the effects that interpret the Quran and the noble, firmly established traditions to a chosen band, and made them understand its pursuit, and bequeathed it to eminent ones whom He guided to goodness and to the knowledge of His Book, and to a favored, noble group whom He strengthened to guard and protect it, and made them love its beautiful recitation and study, and made them among His beloved, and eased for them hardship and fatigue, travel and journeying, and the sacrifice of lives and wealth, and the facing of difficulties and terrors, and the forsaking of beds and separation from family and children, so they journeyed from land to land, traversing every sea of knowledge, disheveled, shabby-clothed, hungry, dry-lipped, abandoning homelands and loved ones, estranged from tribes, friends, and companions, making their concern one concern, and being content with the Quran and Hadith as guide and leader, taking them as guides on the path of happiness and leaders, neither hunger nor thirst cutting them off, nor summer nor winter distracting them; they abandoned soft beds and pleasant resting places. So I ask You, my Master, by what they carried of the hadith of Your Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and transmitted it, collected it in their books, recorded it, distinguished its sound from its weak, and clarified it; and by what they preserved of Your Books, clarifying its ambiguous from its clear, interpreting its general and specific, making it the light of their insights and the lamp of their understandings, preferring it over every remembrance and detailing it, thereby becoming of the greatest rank and virtue, and closest to their Prophet in station and means; and by the right of Your glorious, great names, and Your beautiful, noble verses; and by the right of Your great, greatest name which You deposited in 'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' and concealed in 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds' and hid in Your saying 'the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' and manifested in 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help'; and by the right of what Surah al-Baqarah, Al 'Imran, Kaf Ha Ya 'Ayn Sad, Ha Mim 'Ayn Sin Qaf, Ta Ha, and Tabarak ⁸¹ contain, and the disjointed letters of the Quranic surahs, that You make me among them and with them in the station of nearness and closeness, and clothe me and them in garments of contentment and pleasure, and grant me and them what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it occurred to any human heart, in the enclosures of holiness and the paradises of gardens, and adorn me with what You adorned them with of the robes of love, truth, and faith, and seat me and them on the pulpits of honor, virtue, and favor, and give me glad tidings with what You gave them glad tidings of, from the gifts of mercy, pardon, and forgiveness, and make me rejoice with what You made them rejoice in, of gazing upon Your noble face in the abode of joy, happiness, and congratulations, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, I find no aspiration in other than You, nor any recourse to other than You. I have knelt my mount at Your door, and rubbed my honored gray hair in the courtyard of Your thresholds, and interceded with You through the hadith of Your beloved, our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the surahs of Your Book, that You bestow upon me relief from distress and grant me stations of nearness. For my soul has trusted in the recitation of Your wise Book, and my heart has been reassured by belonging to You and seeking refuge in Your great presence, and there has shone for me from the flashes of Your breezes a lightning that the meeting unveils, and ecstasies that arrival extends and permanence supports. In You I have hidden joys that the yearning of my longings finds rest, and the gifts of my tastes find relief. O Beloved of the repentant, O Joy of the knowers, O Delight of the eyes of the worshippers, O Intimacy of the solitary, O Manifest of those cut off, O He to whom the hearts of the truthful yearn, and with whom the hearts of the loving, verifying ones find intimacy, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. * The beauty of a person is not in the cloak; rather, a person is beneath the speech of the tongue. * Pride without knowledge is poverty, for the life of spirits is understanding meanings. * The ignorant brother remains gloomy in obscurity and lowliness of status. * The knowledgeable brother rises and wins praise and a station he attains in the gardens. * So cling to knowledge, for it is a cure and a companion through which security is obtained. * It is a fortress against every chronic disease and a protection for a person without trial. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose bride You adorned in the abode of honor, and whom You interceded for his community on the day of regret and remorse, who said: 'Whoever preserves for me from my community forty hadiths of the Sunnah, I will be an intercessor and witness for him on the Day of Resurrection.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whom visitors are blessed and benefit, and who agree on his love and gather, who said: 'The gardens of Paradise are the circles of remembrance; when you pass by them, graze.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, great in station and rank, the master of the messengers, the clement, the oft-sighing, to whom Mu'adh ibn Jabal said: 'Which deeds are most beloved to Allah Almighty?' He said: 'That you die while your tongue is moist with the remembrance of Allah.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whose remembrance tongues and lips delight, and before whose awe hearts and foreheads humble, who said: 'Everything has a polish, and the polish of hearts is the remembrance of Allah. Nothing is more saving from the punishment of the grave than the remembrance of Allah.' They said: 'Not even jihad in the way of Allah?' He said: 'Not even jihad in the way of Allah.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose family and dependents were raised in the station of honor, and through whom the paths of religion were made manifest and its intricacies clarified, who came out to a circle of his companions and said: 'What made you sit?' They said: 'We sat to remember Allah and praise Him for guiding us to Islam and bestowing it upon us.' He said: 'By Allah, nothing made you sit but that?' They said: 'By Allah, nothing made us sit but that.' He said: 'Indeed, I did not ask you to take an oath suspecting you; Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to me and informed me that Allah, mighty and majestic, boasts of you to the angels.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose mounts were blessed by visiting him, and whose beloved ones were safe on the day of the greatest terror from the Fire, who said: 'On the right hand of the Most Merciful—and both His hands are right—are men who are not prophets nor martyrs, whose faces are white.'

The onlookers look (with envy); the prophets and martyrs envy them for their station and their proximity to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, who are they?" He said: "They are groups from the scattered tribes who gather upon the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted, and select the best of speech, just as the one who eats dates selects the good ones." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the locus of blessings and felicities, and the best of those by whom You guided creation and granted them success for righteous deeds, who said: "There is no people who gather, remembering Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, desiring thereby nothing but His Face, except that a caller from heaven calls out to them: 'Arise, forgiven, your evil deeds have been exchanged for good deeds.'" O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of immense rank and abundant giving, who said: "Whoever says, 'There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner; His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is over all things competent,' is like one who has freed a slave from among the children of Ishmael." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah drew to the presence of His holiness, and preferred over his kin and his kind, who said: "The happiest of people with my intercession on the Day of Resurrection is the one who says, 'There is no god but Allah,' sincerely from his heart or his soul." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who taught people what they were ignorant of concerning matters of religion, and the most excellent of those who believed in what he brought from Allah and acted upon it, who said: "Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Allah makes the Fire forbidden for him." Mu'adh said: "Shall I not inform the people of this, O Messenger of Allah, so that they may rejoice?" He said: "Then they would rely (on it)." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the light of everything and its guidance, and the culmination of every knowledge and the secret of its meaning, who said: "For everything there is a key, and the key to the heavens is 'There is no god but Allah.'" O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the essence of noble glory, of family and homeland, and the pendant of the splendid necklace in appearance and beautiful face, who said: "There is no loneliness for the people of 'There is no god but Allah' in death, nor in the graves, nor in the resurrection; it is as if I see them at the Blast, shaking the dust from their heads, saying, 'Praise be to Allah, who has removed from us all sorrow.'" O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the elixir of the inward and outward, and the cultivation of hearts and innermost secrets, who said: "No servant says, 'There is no god but Allah,' sincerely, except that the gates of heaven are opened for him until it reaches the Throne, as long as he avoids major sins." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the cultivation of villages and cities, and the master of clients and freemen, who said: "There is no remembrance better than 'There is no god but Allah,' and no supplication better than seeking forgiveness." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah brought near to Him and gave refuge, and filled his heart with obedience and piety, who said: "Renew your faith." A man said: "O Messenger of Allah, how do we renew our faith?" He said: "Increase in saying, 'There is no god but Allah.'" O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the guide to the path of salvation, and the best of those by whom conditions are set right and degrees are raised, who said: "No servant says, 'There is no god but Allah,' in any hour of night or day, except that it erases what is in the record of evil deeds until it settles upon the like of it from good deeds." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who guided servants to Allah and directed them to Him, and the most generous of those who made them love Him and brought them near to Him, who said: "Glorification (tasbih) is half of the Scale, and 'Praise be to Allah' fills it, and 'There is no god but Allah' has no veil before Allah until it reaches Him." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the repose of the hearts of the knowers, and the locus of their intimacy, and the one by whose service men boast over their kin and their kind, who said: "I met Abraham (peace be upon him) on the night of my Ascension, and he said: 'O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your community, and inform them that Paradise has sweet water and good soil, and that it is a plain, and that its plants are: 'Glory be to Allah,' 'Praise be to Allah,' 'There is no god but Allah,' 'Allah is the Greatest,' and 'There is no power and no strength except with Allah.' So increase in saying them." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who glorified, magnified, and proclaimed the oneness of Allah, and the most noble of those whose full moon traversed the horizon of happiness and alighted, who said: "Whoever says, 'Glory be to Allah and with His praise,' a date palm is planted for him in Paradise, and it is more beloved to me than the mountain of Wahb, which a man spends in the way of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and patron Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who attained the ranks of honor and achieved them, and through whom his community reached its goal and its actions, who said: "Noah (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever says, "Glory be to Allah and with His praise, Glory be to Allah the Magnificent, I seek forgiveness from Allah and I repent to Him," it is recorded for him just as he said it, then it is suspended at the Throne; no sin he commits erases it until he meets Allah on the Day of Resurrection, and it is sealed as he said it.'"

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the beloved of Allah, the chosen of Allah, the best of those whom Allah selected from His servants and chose, who said: "Whoever says in the morning, 'Glory be to Allah and with His praise' a thousand times, he purchases himself from Allah and at the end of his day he is a freedman of Allah." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of comprehensive and universal good, and of abundant and immense giving, who said: "Two words light on the tongue, heavy in the balance, beloved to the Most Merciful: 'Glory be to Allah and with His praise, glory be to Allah the Almighty.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the treasure of gifts and secrets, the best of those through whose visitation sins and burdens are forgiven, who said: "Blessed is he who finds in his record much seeking of forgiveness. So whoever loves that his record gladden him, let him increase in seeking forgiveness." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose honor and virtue tongues have acknowledged, and the most beloved of those for whose visitation and union lovers compete, who said: "If the whole world with all its contents were in the hand of a man from my nation, then he said, 'Praise be to Allah,' the praise of Allah would be better than all of that." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose sleeves and collars were perfumed with noble character, and the most excellent of those through whom the sorrows and griefs of the distressed are relieved, who said: "Whenever Allah bestows a blessing upon a servant and he says, 'Praise be to Allah,' he has rendered its thanks; if he says it a second time, Allah renews its reward for him; and if he says it a third time, Allah forgives his sins." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who strung the jewels of knowledge and perfected their arrangement, and opened the buds of meanings and unfolded them, who "took a branch and shook it, then it shook, then he shook it and it shook, then he said: 'Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.' Sins fall away as the tree sheds its leaves." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You purified in the enclosures of Your holiness and thoroughly cleansed, and raised his station to the highest 'Illiyin ⁸² and gave him a great kingdom, who said: "No matter ever befell me but Gabriel appeared to me and said, 'O Muhammad, say: I rely on the Living who does not die; praise be to Allah who has not taken a son and has no partner in sovereignty and has no protector from humiliation; and magnify Him with magnificence.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of supererogatory and obligatory [acts], and the best of those whose love encompassed the whole and the part, who said: "Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing women twenty-five times every day will be among those whose prayers are answered and through whom the people of the earth are provided for." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the model of those who reach [Allah] and the master of the leaders who act, who said: "Whoever seeks forgiveness for believing men and believing women, Allah writes for him a good deed for every believing man and woman. And whoever seeks forgiveness at sunset seventy times will not be recorded among the heedless." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the facilitator of every difficult and hard matter, and the reliever of every worry and distress, who said: "There is no male or female servant who seeks forgiveness from Allah seventy times in a day except that Allah forgives him seven hundred sins, and indeed a male or female servant who commits more than seven hundred sins in a day and night is doomed." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose dust and grave You illuminated, and the most noble of those whose kind and species You adorned with virtues, who said: "No servant prostrates and says, 'My Lord, forgive me' three times except that he is forgiven before he raises his head." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of the people of the Sunnah and the best of those through whom hearts become tranquil, who said: "Whoever seeks forgiveness from Allah seventy times after every prayer, Allah forgives him the sins that are ambiguous, and he does not leave this world until he sees his spouses and dwellings in Paradise." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the excellent in conduct and description, and the imam of the people of insight and unveiling, who said: "Whoever says, 'I seek forgiveness from Allah, the Almighty, besides whom there is no god, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, and I repent to Him,' he is forgiven even if he fled from the battle." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the outcome of my sciences and my art, and the best of those in whom my hope is strong and my opinion is good, who said: "Send blessings upon me, for your blessings upon me are purification for you, and they are multiplied manifold. And increase in sending blessings upon me, for the first thing you will be asked about in the grave is about me." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You granted eternal bliss, and bestowed lofty honor and sovereignty, who said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty looks at the one who sends blessings upon me, and whoever He looks at, He will never punish." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of high aspirations and pleasing states, of dazzling miracles and sublime wonders, who said: "Whoever says in the morning and evening, 'I am pleased with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as prophet and messenger,' it is a right upon Allah to please him on the Day of Resurrection."

It was a right upon Allah to please him ⁸³. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of the Emigrants ⁸⁴ and the Helpers ⁸⁵, the lion of the battalions who protects whoever seeks refuge with him from the evil of the wicked and the plot of the sinners, who said: "Whoever says, 'O Allah, I have entered the morning calling You to witness, and the bearers of Your Throne ⁸⁶, Your angels, and all Your creation to witness that You are Allah, there is no god but You, and that Muhammad is Your servant and Your Messenger,' Allah will free a quarter of him from the Fire. Whoever says it twice, Allah will free half of him from the Fire. Whoever says it three times, Allah will free three-quarters of him from the Fire. If he says it four times, Allah will free him from the Fire." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the sea of gifts and sublime sciences, the possessor of noble deeds and dazzling signs, who said: "By the might by which the servant boasts, nothing is better than 'O Allah, I ask You for well-being in this world and the Hereafter.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the treasure of the sought-after secret ⁸⁷, the best of those through whom goals are attained and desires fulfilled, who said: "Whoever begins his day with good and ends it with good, Allah Almighty says to His angels, 'Do not record against him the sins committed in between.'" So bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing that opens for us the treasuries of the unseen, relieves us of great distress, and conveys us through it to the utmost desire and sought-after goal of Your pleasure and his pleasure, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Peace be upon the people of repentance and guidance, peace be upon the people of love and generosity, peace be upon you, you are the best company who have come to listen to the remembrance ⁸⁸ for the attainment of eternity. In the remembrance of the Lord of the worlds is our gathering to spend time with praise and thanks. Come, let us sing with outstretched hands and ask for Allah's grace in attaining the goal and in erasing burdens whose weight the intellect cannot bear—if burdens were to return, their bearer would be repelled. The judge of passion ⁸⁹ has burdened us with the weight of carrying them, while passion and intellect are opposites. If our intellects were to prevail over passion, we would be free of burdens, O friend. But man's intellect is overcome by passion, so it remains dull, neither restoring nor finding. If a breeze of kindness blows from the side of grace, it decrees the expulsion of passion in the realm of expulsion, and man's intellect becomes manifest in the body, illuminating the heart in the darkness of aversion. O Hearer of whispered prayers, O Possessor of sublimity, O Remover of affliction, O Support of the servant, I ask You by the Guide to You, Muhammad, and by Ta Ha ⁹⁰, Ya Sin ⁹¹, Ha Mim ⁹², and the Thunder ⁹³, show kindness to me today with gentleness, for by Your truth, from a state You know, I am in distress. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You have purified in word and deed, whom You have chosen and made worthy of mastery, who said: "There is no morning or evening but the tracts of earth call out to one another: 'O neighbor, did a righteous servant pass by you today, praying for you or remembering Allah?' If one says yes, it considers itself superior." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master and patron Muhammad, the adornment of the group and the tribe, the master of every dead and living, who said: "The example of a house in which Allah is remembered and a house in which Allah is not remembered is like the dead and the living." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master and patron Muhammad, the table of every exquisite grace and its embroidery, the result of every superior knowledge and its correction, who said: "The example of a righteous companion is like a perfume seller: if he does not give you perfume, you get its scent." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master and patron Muhammad, the best of those whose remembrances and speech are sweet in the ears, the most honored of those whom You supported and aided in hardships, who said: "The example of a righteous companion and an evil companion is like the owner of musk and the bellows of a blacksmith. From the owner of musk, you either buy it or find its scent. The bellows of the blacksmith burns your body or your clothes, or you find a foul smell from it." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master and patron Muhammad, the best of those who saved creatures from the darkness of ignorance, benefited them, and guided them to the path of good and to the word of Islam, gathering them, who said: "Whoever holds fast to the Sunnah ⁹⁴ enters Paradise, and whoever loves a people will be gathered with them." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master and patron Muhammad, the best of those whom his Lord adorned with the garments of His perfection, chose for the message, and purified in the gardens of His beauty, who said: "Four things, whoever is given them has been given the good of this world and the Hereafter: a remembering tongue, a grateful heart, a body patient in affliction, and a wife who does not betray him in herself or his wealth." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master and patron Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah honored and loved, whose feet He made firm and whose party He supported, who said: "Satan has seized the heart of the son of Adam. When he remembers Allah, he withdraws; otherwise, he forgets Allah and Satan seizes his heart." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master and patron Muhammad, the eraser of doubt and suspicion, the tongue of truth free from defect and fault, who said: "Four are faults that are not seen: the fault of the pilgrim until he returns, the fault of the warrior until he returns, the fault of the sick until he recovers, and the fault of a brother to his brother in his absence." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and patron Muhammad and to the family of our master and patron Muhammad, the best of those whose fame spread in the highest assembly ⁹⁵, whose mention was raised, whose virtues were manifested in the Hereafter, and whose reward was multiplied, who said: "Whoever goes for the need of his Muslim brother and fulfills it, a Hajj ⁹⁶ and an Umrah ⁹⁷ are recorded for him; even if it is not fulfilled..."

An Umrah ⁹⁸ would be recorded for him. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whom we seek opening to virtues in their recitation and remembrance, and by whom the great ones seek blessing in their secret and public affairs. He said: "Whoever sees the private part of his brother and covers it, it will be as if he revived his piety in his grave." (55) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who performed worship, obligatory or supererogatory, and whose miracle encompassed the cosmos, heaven and earth. He said: "The believer to the believer is like a building, each part strengthening the other." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the key to the doors of acceptance, and the best of those by whom the roots and branches are honored. He said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty is at the tongue of every speaker, so let a servant fear Allah and consider what he says." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the result of beneficial speech, and the best of those whom You made a mercy to the near and far. He said: "Adhering to my Sunnah ⁹⁹ at the time of the corruption of my community has the reward of a martyr." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the support of devotees and the model of leading wayfarers. He said: "Indeed, Allah descends upon this mosque ¹⁰⁰ every day and night one hundred and twenty mercies: sixty for those performing Tawaf ¹⁰¹, forty for those praying, and twenty for those looking." (56) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whom the elements and minerals are honored, and the most excellent of those by whom the witnessed places and stations are adorned. He said: "Indeed, Allah looks down on the night of the middle of Sha'ban ¹⁰² and forgives all His creation except a polytheist or one harboring rancor." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the straight guidance and the upright path. He said: "Fear Allah regarding the two weak ones: the widowed woman and the orphan child." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose spirit Allah purified in the carpet of His intimacy, and preferred over his kin and kind. He said: "The one consulted is entrusted; so when he is consulted, let him advise what he would do for himself." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the foot of established honor, and the best of Allah's honored servants. He said: "Poverty is a trust; whoever conceals it, it is worship for him, and whoever discloses it has burdened his Muslim brothers." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad (57), the desire of the captive and the seeker, and the watering place for the one departing and arriving. He said: "Allah is more delighted with the repentance of His servant than a barren woman who gives birth, a captive who finds freedom, and a thirsty person who finds water." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose companionship men boast, and in whose guarantee creatures trust. He said: "The elder in his family is like the prophet in his community." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the unique jewel of beauty, and the best of those whom You supported with success and guidance. He said: "Good character melts sins as the sun melts ice." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those upon whom You bestowed from the gifts of Your generosity what he hoped for, and poured upon him from the oceans of Your secret beyond what he wished or asked. He said: "When supplication is opened for a servant, let his Lord rejoice, for Allah will respond to him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those upon whom You bestowed upon creatures his attainment, and the most forbearing of those who dragged the tail of pardon and forgiveness over the sinners. He said: (58) "Indeed, in the night there is an hour in which no Muslim servant asks Allah for good of this world or the Hereafter but He gives it to him, and that is every night." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the most faithful of people in covenant and pledge, and the truest of them in intention, love, and purpose. He said: "Upon you is beautiful hope and its comprehensive forms. Say: 'O Allah, I ask You for all good, immediate and delayed, what I know and what I do not know; and I seek refuge in You from all evil, immediate and delayed, what I know and what I do not know; and I ask You for Paradise and what brings me near to it of speech or action; and I seek refuge in You from the Fire and what brings me near to it of speech or action; and I ask You by what Muhammad asked You, and I seek refuge in You from what Muhammad sought refuge from; and whatever decree You decree for me, make its outcome guidance.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the concise and detailed speech, and the Mighty Revealed Book. He said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty has three angels appointed over whoever says: 'O Most Merciful of the merciful.' Whoever says it three times, the angel says to him: 'The Most Merciful of the merciful has turned to you, so ask.'" So bless him, O Allah, and his family, the people of connected honor, and his Companions, the possessors of established glory. A blessing (59) by which we become among those who rely in all their affairs on You and trust, and intercede through his great rank with You and seek means, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. The light of guidance, and drive the mounts for him towards the fragrant pleasure.

Seek it even in China, for it is knowledge, when its banners are raised on its heights, O son of al-Andalus. Do not spend your life, which passes between a glance and a breath, on anything other than capturing its fugitive [meaning]. Turn your ear away from the affliction of a contentious brother, who has occupied the intelligent with a kind of madness. It does not rise above Abu Bakr or 'Umar, nor does it come from Abu Hurayra or Anas. It is nothing but caprice and fabricated disputes, which are neither moist nor dry when counted. Do not be deceived by the clamor of its people; the benefit from them is but the sound of a bell. Lend them a deaf ear if they reproach, and when they ask, attribute yourself to lentils. Knowledge is only the Book of God or a tradition [athar] that illuminates every confusion with the light of its guidance. The best of what is sought is a borrowed light that protects the vigilant and grants bliss to the distressed. Devote yourself to their door; what you seek from them will suffice you from all other quests. Return with your heart refreshed from their pools; you will wash away with the water of guidance whatever filth there was. Follow the Prophet, and be from their light forever drawing near to a firebrand. Attend their gatherings, and mourn their schools with the four lessons. Tread their path and follow their group, and you will be their companion in the Holy Presence. That is happiness if you alight at its summit; then pitch your camp, you will be spared from hardship. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah chose for the message and selected, and whom He took by night to the highest station, who said: 'Nothing is placed in the Balance heavier than good character, and indeed the person of good character attains through it the rank of fasting and prayer.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose rank You raised and whose station You exalted, whose status You magnified and whose lineage You honored, who said: 'There is nothing between my two ears except that his head leaves, so his litanies before the king raise his wisdom, and when the decree is established for the king, place his wisdom.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those to whom creatures seek refuge, and the most blessed at whose door the mounts halt, who said: 'The nearness of Allah to the believing supplicant is at His door.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the most trustworthy of people in covenant, the most faithful, the most beloved to Allah and the most pleasing, who said: 'The believer who mixes with people and endures their harm is better than the believer who does not mix with people and does not endure their harm.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the most merciful who showed affection and compassion, the most generous who gave himself in Your pleasure and spent, who said: 'The religion is soft, soft, until you mix with the softness of a fool.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the most majestic whose praiser reached and elaborated, and refined the meanings of his noble virtues and excelled, who said: 'A person is with whom he loves, and for him is what he has earned.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom You granted the brides of meanings in their highest stations, and the most beautiful of those whom the subtleties of knowledge gave to drink from the cups of their drinks, who said: 'Sincere intention is attached to the Throne; when the servant is sincere, the Throne moves and forgives its owner.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the greatest rank, the lofty glory, and the protected sanctuary, who said: 'The example of the believers in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion is like the body; when one part complains, the rest of the body responds with sleeplessness and fever.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom You granted honor and acceptance, and bestowed complete nearness and attainment, who said: 'He has tasted the flavor of faith who is pleased with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as prophet and messenger.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the spirit of spirits and essences, the eye of joys and delights, who said: 'Blessed is he who has seen me and believed in me once, and blessed is he who has not seen me and believed in me seven times.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the door of Allah that is sought, and the best of those whose station the visitors have blessed, who said: 'Indeed, Allah is good and loves goodness, clean and loves cleanliness, generous and loves generosity, munificent and loves munificence; so clean your courtyards and do not resemble the Jews.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your trustworthy one, infallible from treachery and obscenity, who said: 'Those who love each other for Allah's sake are on thrones of rubies around the Throne.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the vast of sanctuary, the tongue of truth speaking rightly, who said: 'No two men love each other for Allah's sake except that Allah places a chair for them and seats them upon it until Allah finishes the reckoning.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who spread knowledge and published it, and strengthened the arm of religion and supported it, who said: 'When two Muslims meet and one greets the other, the more beloved of them to Allah is the one with the better countenance toward his companion; when they shake hands, Allah sends down upon them a hundred mercies: ninety for the one who initiates and ten for the one who shakes hands.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy.

And the saint of grace ¹⁰³ who said: "Verily, Allah Almighty looks down upon the earth on the two festivals ¹⁰⁴, and they visit ¹⁰⁵ (64) those from the stations ¹⁰⁶ whom mercy reaches." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those You created, easy, gentle, and successful, and to whom You granted firm certainty and a realized secret ¹⁰⁷, who said: "There are no two Muslims who meet and shake hands except that they are forgiven before they part." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the chastity of every pure and upright one, and the best of those whose mention hearts yearn for and desire, who said: "Verily, when a Muslim shakes hands with his brother, their sins fall off as the leaves of a tree fall off; and when they ask each other ¹⁰⁸, Allah sends down between them a hundred mercies, ninety-nine for the one who gives glad tidings to them ¹⁰⁹, and releases them, and benefits them, and the best of them in asking his brother." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the ornament of ornaments ¹¹⁰, without peer or likeness, and the best of those whom the virtuous follow and are pleased with, who said: "Verily, in Paradise there are chambers whose exteriors are seen from their interiors, and their interiors from their exteriors, prepared by Allah Almighty (65) for those who love each other for His sake." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the seal of the prophets and messengers, and the master of the angels brought near ¹¹¹, who said: "Verily, in Paradise there is a house called the House of Joy; none enters it except those who bring joy to the orphans of the believers." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those with whom the believers have covenanted and agreed, and for whom the yearning ones tremble upon hearing his praise and are moved ¹¹², who said to Abu Ayyub al-Ansari ¹¹³: "Shall I guide you to a trade that Allah and His Messenger love? He said: Yes. He said: Reconcile between people when they become estranged, and bring them closer when they become distant." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved of high rank and status, and Your pious, humble, and oft-sighing ¹¹⁴ saint, who said: "The most beloved of deeds to Allah are guarding the tongue, reciting the Quran, loving for Allah, and hating for Allah." (66) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the purest of people in body, the most luminous in heart, and the greatest in station and nearness to his Lord, who said: "The most beloved of deeds to Allah are feeding a hungry person, relieving him of a debt, or removing a distress from him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose sayings the imams follow, and from whose overflowing bounty the great ones draw, who said: "All creatures are the dependents of Allah, and the most beloved of them to Allah is the most beneficial to His dependents." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of creation and the luminous star of lights, who said: "Whoever is apologized to by his Muslim brother and does not accept it, upon him is the sin of the tax collector ¹¹⁵." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom lovers are enamored with, and for whose proximity and nearness the lovers vie, who said: "When a stranger falls ill and looks to his right, left, front, and behind, and sees no one he knows, Allah forgives him his past sins." (67) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the bringer of glad tidings of blessing and happiness, and the locus of sciences and benefit, who said: "The death of a stranger is martyrdom." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who come and those who have passed, and Your Prophet whose light filled the horizons and the expanse, who said: "Allah forgave a man from those before you who was lenient when selling, lenient when buying, and lenient when demanding payment." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of kings and kingdoms, and the pole of the sphere of prophethood, of far-reaching perceptions, who said: "Allah forgave a prostitute who passed by a dog at the mouth of a well, panting, almost dying of thirst. She took off her sock, tied it with her headcover, and drew water for it; so Allah forgave her for that." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of the people of guidance and emulation, and the most generous of those who led his nation on a straight path and a right way, who said: "There is no servant (68) from whose eyes tears flow, like the head of a fly, out of fear of Allah Almighty, and they touch his face, except that Allah makes the Fire forbidden to him forever." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who strove in Your obedience and were truthful, and the most generous of those who fulfilled Your covenant in what he promised and spoke, who said: "Gabriel continued to advise me about the neighbor until I thought he would make him an heir. And he continued to advise me about the slave until I thought he would set a term for him, upon reaching which he would be freed." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose dust visitors wipe themselves with, and the most majestic of those whose tables of secrets the great ones have attained, who said: "For a man to commit adultery with ten women is better than for him to commit adultery with his neighbor's wife; and for him to steal from ten houses is easier for him than to steal from his neighbor's house." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the praised one in stillness and motion, and the best of those who clarified the paths of religion and traversed them, who said:

And when one of you goes on a journey, let him provide for his brothers, for Allah will place blessing in their vessels ¹¹⁶. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the delight of pages and the crown of heads, who said: "When Allah the Exalted gives you wealth, let it enrich you, for Allah loves to see the effect of His bounty on His servant in a good way, and He does not like misery and wretchedness." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the bestower of pure blessings and the reviver of wholesome traditions, who said: "When you see poverty afflicting a person, and poverty and illness come to him, then Allah wants to purify him ¹¹⁷." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose fame spread through the worlds and rose, and every responder ¹¹⁸ succeeded by serving his station and benefited, who said: "Free yourselves from the worries of this world as much as you can, for whoever does not make this world his greatest concern, Allah will make his affairs easy, place richness in his heart, and no servant turns his heart to Allah except that Allah makes the hearts of the believers incline towards him with love and mercy, and Allah the Exalted is quicker to every good towards him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the succor of the distressed and the reliever of their sorrows, the delight of the eyes of the lovers and the musk of their pockets, who said: "When a guest entrusts himself to a people and leaves his provision [to Allah], and when he leaves, he leaves with the forgiveness of their sins." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of the people of earth and heaven, and the best of those adorned with the jewels of attributes and names, who said: "When Allah loves a servant, He protects him from the world as one of you protects his sick one from water." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom You granted praiseworthy effort and gave accepted and blessed deeds, who said: "When a man eats food, his stomach is filled with light." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the illuminator of the gardens ¹¹⁹ and their purifier, the supporter of the religion and its helper, who said: "When a man eats food, let him mention the name of Allah; if he forgets to mention the name of Allah at the beginning, let him say: 'In the name of Allah at its beginning and its end.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the commander of good and the forbidded of evil, and the best of those in whom praise is delightful and chanting is pleasant, who said: "When one of you leads the people in prayer, let him be brief, for among them are the old, the weak, the sick, and those with needs; and when he prays alone, let him lengthen as he wishes." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who treated bodies with his remedy and medicine, and the most generous of those who united hearts in his affection and love, who said: "When the imam leads, say 'Amin' ¹²⁰; for whoever's 'Amin' coincides with the 'Amin' of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of the learned scholars, and the model of the righteous and the connecting poles ¹²¹, who said: "The Jews do not envy you for anything except for 'Amin', so say 'Amin' often." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose secret was concealed in the consciences of hearts and preserved, and the most generous of those whom You sheltered in Your lofty presence and protected, who said: "The best of faith is that you know that Allah is with you wherever you are." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You commanded and forbade, and the most majestic of those through whom You established the path of Your religion and set it right, who said: "The best supplication is that you ask your Lord for pardon and well-being in this world and the Hereafter; for if you are given them in this world and then given them in the Hereafter, you have succeeded." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of the earth and the possessor of lofty honor and wide prestige, who said: "The best act of worship in reward is hastening to stand up for the sick." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the one to whose grave the lover yearns and longs, and the greatest of those for whom the ardent one sighs from the excess of his passion and groans, who said: "The closest that the Lord comes to the servant is in the last part of the night; so if you can be among those who remember Allah at that hour, then do so." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those upon whose heart the lights of guidance shone, and the most honored of those whom men honor by their allegiance and closeness, who said: "The least thing found in my community at the end of time is a lawful dirham ¹²² and a trustworthy brother." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose origin and virtue are noble, and the most excellent of those whose generosity and virtue are manifested to creation, who said: "The best of gatherings are those in which the qibla ¹²³ is faced." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose words and deeds You purified, and the most honorable of those whose intention and hope attained Your pleasure, who said: "Eat much bread, for it is between the blessings of heaven and earth; whoever eats what falls from the dining cloth ¹²⁴ will be forgiven." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the most cheerful and beautiful of people in countenance, and the most knowledgeable of them in Your law and jurisprudence, who said: "Send many blessings upon me on Friday, for it is a day witnessed by the angels, and no one sends blessings except that his blessing is presented to me when he finishes it." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom creation follows in trustworthiness and justice, and the most generous of those from whose sea of generosity and virtue delegations draw, who said: "Recite the Quran often in your homes, for the house in which the Quran is not recited has little good, much evil, and becomes narrow for its inhabitants." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those upon whose illuminated heart You sent down Your verses, and upon whose purified body You bestowed Your breaths, who said: "Increase prayer in your house, the good of your house will increase; and greet whomever you meet from my community, your good deeds will increase." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the treasure of grace and favor, and the best of those who clarified the paths of the religion and its sunna ¹²⁵, who said: "And Allah is a refuge for the heedless, like one who fights for the fleeing; and Allah aids the heedless like a lamp in a dark house; and Allah aids the heedless, and Allah knows him, and he will be granted a palace in Paradise." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the high and greatest rank and the clear and perfect religion, who said:

And the remembrance of Allah among those who say it, Allah forgives him with twenty-four ¹²⁶. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the fresh branch of the tree of glory, and the possessor of beautiful praise and wondrous remembrance, who said: "And the remembrance of Allah in Ramadan ¹²⁷ forgives him, and the means of Allah in it do not disappoint." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the key to the treasuries of the unseen ¹²⁸ and the reliever of great calamities and distresses, who said: "And the remembrance of Allah is a healing for hearts." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who trusted in You and had good opinion, and the most excellent of those who took Your remembrance as a emblem and a practice, who said: "And the remembrance of the prophets is an act of worship, and the remembrance of the righteous is an expiation, and the remembrance of death is a charity, and the remembrance of the grave brings you closer to Paradise." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad (75 times) the best of those whom You have granted tenderness and compassion, and have mercy on him whom You made a refuge and a shelter for his community, who said: "Remembrance is better than charity, and remembrance is a blessing from Allah, so kindle its gratitude. And the remembrance that wakefulness does not hear exceeds the remembrance that wakefulness hears by seventy-fold." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whose antidote the sick is treated and healed, and the most perfect of those whose path the seeker follows and imitates, who said: "And the best remembrance is the hidden one, and the best provision is what suffices." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the fortress of security and safety, and the ambassador of the unseen with clear evidence and proof, who said: "Purify your mouths with the toothstick ¹²⁹, for they are the pathways of the Quran." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whose fragrance the worlds have been perfumed, and the most generous of those whose mention the nightingales of lovers have sung, who said: "The sorrowful one who seeks reward ¹³⁰ is like the martyr covered in his blood; when he dies, he is not provided for in his grave." (76) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the opener of good deeds and their bringer, and the caller of souls to the presence of Truth and their attractor, who said: "When a man performs prayer well, completing its bowing and prostration, the prayer says: 'May Allah protect you as you have protected me.' And when he performs prayer poorly, not completing its bowing and prostration, the prayer says: 'May Allah neglect you as you have neglected me.' Then it is folded like a worn-out garment and struck on the face of its owner." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the essence of prophethood, majestic in reality and essence, and the sea of sciences, knowledgeable in the rulings of Sharia and jurisprudence, who said: "Indeed, when a servant stands to pray, all his sins are brought and placed on his head or shoulders, and whenever he bows or prostrates, they fall away from him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, pure in lineage and glory, and blessed in origin and birth, who said: "The mosque is the house of every pious person, and when Allah, Mighty and Majestic, intends to send down calamity, He averts it from the inhabitants of the mosque." (77) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of every prophet, messenger, and angel, and the best of those who trod the path of Sharia and followed it, from whose virtues of charity that he urged is what is narrated: "Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon him, passed by a village where there was a fuller ¹³¹. The people of the village said: 'O Jesus of the believers, I had parents; my father loved charity and my mother hated it. I never saw her give charity except a piece of fat and an old garment. When she died, I saw in a dream as if the Resurrection had occurred, and I saw my mother standing among the people, with a burning fire placed on her private parts, and the fat in her hand, licking it and crying out, 'O thirst!' And I saw my father at the edge of the pool giving water. (84) So I gave my mother water, and then I woke up from my sleep. Indeed, whoever gives her water, his hand will be paralyzed.' So I woke up with my hand paralyzed." So bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing by which the motives of my longing and ecstasy in Your love are strengthened, and by which the people of my love and affection are made happy, and we become among those who call to the path of Your guidance and guide, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Among the best of deeds, if you are a doer, to be happy on the day of fear, terror, and panic, is to console the poor if you are wealthy, for that, by the life of Allah, is among the greatest piety. So be generous with what your Lord has given you, and your share from it is what you spend on the needy. That is a shade on the Day of Resurrection that will shade you that day from the intensity of heat. By it, degrees in Paradise are raised; by it, harm is removed from you without you knowing. By it, the Merciful forgives all your sins; by it, you find comfort in the loneliness of the grave. What a great quality is altruism! Its possessor truly attains all good. (85) O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah helped in obedience and strengthened, and magnified his rank, and named him with the most honorable names, who said: "Indeed, in Paradise there is a gate called al-Duha ¹³². On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will call: 'Where are those who used to persist in the Duha prayer? This is your gate, so enter it by the mercy of Allah.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who erased the religion of disbelief and established it, and scattered the unity of hypocrisy with the sword of His victory and tore it apart, who said: "Prayer behind a pious man is accepted, and fleeing to a pious man from the [worship of] idols and visiting [graves] with him is charity."

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the full moon of perfections, the overflowing flood of abundant giving, who said: "Verily, secret charity extinguishes the wrath of the Lord, and maintaining family ties increases lifespan, and doing good deeds protects from evil deaths, and the utterance of 'There is no god but Allah' removes from its speaker ninety-nine doors of affliction, the least of which is anxiety." ¹³³ O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom wild beasts and lions greeted, and the most generous of those who bow and prostrate to You in the depths of the night, who said: "Verily, Allah Most High accepts charity and takes it, then nurtures it for one of you just as one of you nurtures his foal, until a morsel becomes like Mount Uhud." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah guided to goodness and granted success, and entrusted with conveying His revelation and charity, who said: "Your smile in the face of your brother is charity, and your enjoining good and forbidding evil is charity, and your guiding a man in a land of misguidance is charity for you, and your removing a stone, a thorn, or a bone from the path is charity for you, and your pouring from your bucket into your brother's bucket is charity for you." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of the elite and the mighty, the master of every prophet and messenger, who said: "The best charity is that which is given from surplus wealth, and begin with those whom you support." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad ¹³⁴, the vast sea of generosity with its streams and basins, and the garden of fragrant breezes and meadows, who said: "Treat your sick with charity, for it removes from them illnesses and ailments." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your blessed prophet in soil and place, and Your messenger of clear path and law, who said: "Any Muslim who clothes a Muslim when naked, Allah Most High will clothe him from the green of Paradise; and any Muslim who feeds a Muslim when hungry, Allah Most High will feed him on the Day of Resurrection from the fruits of Paradise; and any Muslim who gives drink to a Muslim when thirsty, Allah will give him to drink from the sealed nectar; and any Muslim who clothes a Muslim with a garment, he will remain in the protection of Allah Most High as long as a patch of it remains." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who investigated the landmarks of religion and examined, and urged the observance of the limits of the law and was eager, who said: "Charity given to a relative is a double bond, and charity prevents seventy types of affliction, the least of which are leprosy and vitiligo." ¹³⁵ O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of beautiful deeds and pleasing states, the mine of manifest miracles and clear secrets, who said: "Every good deed you do to rich or poor is charity, and whatever a Muslim spends on himself and his family is recorded as charity for him, and whatever a Muslim uses to protect his honor is recorded as charity for him, and every expenditure a Muslim makes, Allah Most High will replace it, and Allah is the Guarantor, except expenditure on building or disobedience." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the crown of honor and pride, the sword of care and victory, who said: "While a man was walking on a road, he became very thirsty. He found a well, descended into it, drank, then came out. There he saw a dog panting and eating the earth from thirst. The man said, 'This dog has reached the same level of thirst as I had.' So he descended into the well, filled his shoe, then held it in his mouth until he climbed out of the well, and gave the dog water. Allah thanked him and forgave him. They said, 'O Messenger of Allah, is there reward for us in animals?' He said, 'In every living creature there is reward.'" ¹³⁶ O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of perfections with flourishing plants, the noble of stations, pure in branches and origins, who said: "When a beggar asks, do not cut off his request until he finishes it, then respond to him with dignity and gentleness, or with a small gift, or a gracious refusal. For there comes to you one who is neither human nor jinn, watching how you act regarding what Allah has granted you of His blessings." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You granted knowledge and wisdom, and the most compassionate of those whose breast You filled with tenderness and mercy, who said: "No man gives charity by night or day but he is protected from dying suddenly, from a building collapse, or from a snakebite." ¹³⁷ O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose tongues are devoted in secret and public, and the most blessed of those with whom the imams begin in their recitation and remembrance, to whom it was said, 'O Messenger of Allah, when you depart from this world, is the surface of the earth better for us or its interior?' He said: "When your rulers are your best, your rich are your generous, and your affairs are decided by mutual consultation among you, then the surface of the earth is better for you than its interior. But when your rulers are your worst, your rich are your misers, and your affairs are left to your women, then the interior of the earth is better for you than its surface." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who split open the closed universe and pierced it, and the most majestic of those who erased the religions of disbelief and annihilated them, from whose virtues of charity that he urged is what has been narrated: that in it are ten praiseworthy qualities, five in this world and five in the Hereafter. Those in this world include purification of wealth, as he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Verily, buying and selling involve idle talk and lying, so mix them with charity." ¹³⁸

In it is purification of the body from sins, as Allah Almighty said: "Take from their wealth a charity to purify them and sanctify them thereby." ¹³⁹ In it is the removal of afflictions and diseases, as the Prophet ﷺ said: "Treat your sick with charity." ¹⁴⁰ In it is bringing joy to the believers, and in it is blessing for wealth and abundance in provision, as He Almighty said: "And whatever you spend of anything, He will replace it, and He is the best of providers." ¹⁴¹ In the Hereafter, charity will be a shade for its giver from the intense heat, and in it is lightness of the reckoning, and it weighs down the scale, and eases the crossing over the bridge, and raises ranks in Paradise. So the intelligent person should increase his charity as much as he can, to attain these qualities. Even if charity had no virtue other than the prayer of the poor, it would be obligatory upon him to desire it. How much more so when it contains the pleasure of Allah Almighty and the grief of Satan, for it is narrated in the tradition that a man cannot give charity without releasing the jaws of seventy devils, all of whom forbid him from it. ¹⁴² In it is also following the righteous, whose concern is charity. (92) O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose rank You have honored and elevated, and the most excellent of those whose breast You have expanded for knowledge and broadened. Among the virtues of charity that he urged is what is narrated: "That al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, sent to Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, money in two bags, twenty-eight thousand dirhams, while she was fasting. She began distributing it among the people, and by evening she had no dirham left. She said to her maid: 'Bring me some fresh bread and oil.' Then she said to her: 'Could you not have bought us some meat for a dirham from what you distributed today?' She said: 'Do not blame me; if you had reminded me, I would have done so.'" O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the lamp of prophethood that dispels from hearts the darkness of ignorance and error, and the accepted intercessor whose mercy encompasses every dead and living. Among the virtues of charity that he urged is what is narrated from Urwa ibn al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, that Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, gave away seventy thousand [dirhams] in charity while she was patching the side of her garment with something (93). O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who are sought for help in every worry and distress, and the most generous of those whose mention softens every hard and difficult thing. He said: "When a servant repents, Allah makes the recording angels forget his sins, and makes his limbs forget them, and He rises from the earth until he meets Allah with no witness from Allah of any sin." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom souls yearn, and the most generous of those from whom mercy is sought in supplication, and who is desired for what he possesses. He said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty stretches out His hand at night to accept the repentance of the daytime sinner, and stretches out His hand during the day to accept the repentance of the nighttime sinner, until the sun rises from its west. Whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the essence of manifest honor of both lineages, the vast of shelter, the spacious of side and hands. He said: "There is no servant who commits a sin, then goes out on a dark night to a spot in the desert ¹⁴², raises his hands asking Allah for forgiveness of that sin, except that Allah places that sin in His hand, and indeed Allah is too shy to let the servant raise his hands and then return them empty." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom his Lord honored with virtues and His grace, and the most noble of those whom He chose for prophethood and messengership and perfected. He said: "Repent to Allah, for I repent to Him a hundred times every day. And the one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom the mounts journey, and have mercy on those who visit him and place their needs before him. Among the virtues of charity that he urged is what is narrated: That a man was excessive against himself, then he fell ill. He resolved to repent and desisted from sin. When he was on the verge of death, he called his son and said: 'Go, my son, to your neighbor so-and-so and inform him that I am dying and I want to see him.' The son went and told him the news, but he sent him to another of his neighbors, and he said the same thing to him ¹⁴³, until he went to all his neighbors. They were all in agreement, as if they had conspired on that. When his son returned and told him, he wept until he fainted. When he regained consciousness, he began to say: 'They abandoned me when they saw my sin; do you think they are the Forgiving, the Merciful? Leave me, even if my sin is great; only the Great, the Great forgives.' Then the man died. Each of his neighbors saw in a dream that it was said to him: 'So-and-so has died and he is among the people of Paradise. So attend his funeral.' When morning came and the people went to their mosque, each one began to relate what he had seen in his dream. They gathered at the man's house and attended to his preparation and burial. May Allah have mercy on him and on us. O blessed assembly, be sincere * and tighten the mounts of seriousness so that the caravan may catch up. For people have succeeded in honor and elevation * because they served the Master, so their lot is nearness. And we, due to shortcomings, have traversed paths * that bring regret, no doubt, that breaks the heart. O company of beloved, this time has drawn near * a call to those who have insight in their inner being ¹⁴⁴: Return, repent, be sincere, then hasten * to the pasture of piety, ever fertile. How often have we strayed from the scene of truth, absent * as if there were no death and no oppressive standing. O Lord, guide us to the best of repentance * by which we attain goodness and sin is forgiven. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You gave to drink from the seas of Your secrets with abundance, and the most perfect of those for whom You extended in Your kingdom status and hand. He said:

Repentance is regret for the sin when it slips from you, so you seek forgiveness from God, then never return to it. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You have honored among the prophets in rank and station, and the most exalted of those whom You have raised to the highest heights ¹⁴⁵ in station and abode, who said: "If you committed sins until they reached the sky, then you chanted ¹⁴⁶, God would turn to you in forgiveness." O God, bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad (97), the best of those to whom You have granted everlasting honor and great dominion, and whom You have favored with righteous deeds and immense reward from Your provision, about whom it is narrated from Ali ibn Abi Talib that he said: "Whenever I heard something from him, God would benefit me with it as He willed, and when someone else spoke to me, I would make him swear; if he swore, I would believe him. Abu Bakr spoke to me, and Abu Bakr spoke truthfully, saying: 'There is no servant who commits a sin, then performs ablution well, prays two rak'ahs ¹⁴⁷, and seeks forgiveness from God Almighty, but God forgives him.' Then he recited: 'And whoever does evil or wrongs himself then seeks forgiveness from God will find God Forgiving, Merciful.' ¹⁴⁸" O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those through whose tongue You have caused springs of knowledge and jurisprudence to flow, and the most authentic of those to whom hadiths ¹⁴⁹ are attributed and from whom they are narrated, about whom it is narrated from some of his companions that he said: "I heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: 'Whoever repents to God before his death, God accepts his repentance before ¹⁵⁰.'" And another of his companions also said: "I heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: 'Whoever repents to God half a day before he dies, God accepts his repentance.'" (98) O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those through whom visitors seek intercession for fulfilling their needs, and the most blessed of those through whom the afflicted seek healing from their harms and counsels, who said: "When Iblis ¹⁵¹ was cast down, he said: 'By Your might, I will not leave the son of Adam until his soul leaves his body.' The Lord said: 'By My might and majesty, I will not withhold repentance from My servant until his soul reaches his throat ¹⁵².'" O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the path of right guidance and the best of those through whom one is guided in processions of honor and emulation, who said: "It is written around the Throne ¹⁵³ four thousand years before God created creation: 'And indeed, I am the Forgiving of those who repent, believe, do righteous deeds, and then remain guided.' ¹⁵⁴" So bless him, O God, and his family, the imams ¹⁵⁵ of guidance, and his companions, the saviors from places of destruction, with a blessing that is for us a fortress, a refuge, and a support, and by which You repel from us the tongues of the oppressive deviants from religion and the hands of enemies, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. (99) * It is fitting for one like me to reveal his soul, * And gnash his teeth in regret and remorse, * For having disobeyed his Lord deliberately with sin, * So treat him with forbearance, concealment, and mercy, * And show him the door of repentance, perhaps * He will repent, and You will replace hardship with bliss. * My God, my Beloved, my Master, I have come repentant, * And Your pardon, O my Master, encompasses all creation. * This Your servant, sin has weighed down his back, * And what he has brought to You of old has shamed him. * So who but You is worthy of pardon, O You who are pardon and its people, * For Your bounty grants abundantly to supplicants. * Do not turn away today from Your door one who seeks, * Hoping for Your pardon, bounty, and forbearance. * For the fire burns, and patience is consuming for him, * So do not burn the servant's flesh or bones. * And grace him with the bounty that is Yours, * In an abode of bliss where no injustice is feared, * With the houris ¹⁵⁶, the youths ¹⁵⁷, and all his family, * So he fears no hunger nor thirst of the liver. (100) * And from me, the choicest greetings upon the Chosen One ¹⁵⁸, * Enduring as long as the horizon, with a star in it forever. O God, bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom eyes have seen, and the most generous of those through whom days have been blessed and centuries have rejoiced, to whom a man came and said: "O Messenger of God, how do we protect ourselves from the heat of the Fire?" He said: "With the tears of your eyes." And he said: "When God turned to David, peace be upon him, in forgiveness, his grief and weeping increased. He inscribed the mention of his sin on his palm, and whenever he took food or drink, he mixed it with his tear, and wept blood, then blood, then pus. Then from grief, his flesh wasted away, his bones became thin, and his skin clung to them, until no flesh remained in his eyes from which blood or pus could come out." It is narrated that when he wept, God revealed to him: "How long will you weep? If this weeping is out of fear of the Fire, I have granted you security; if it is for seeking Paradise, I have given you glad tidings of it; if it is for the dispute of the adversary ¹⁵⁹, I have satisfied him." But David increased in weeping and said: "I weep only for what I have missed of the purity of that moment." So God revealed to him: "Far from it, far from it, O David! (101) There is no way to that." He was reproached for his excessive weeping, and he would say: "Leave me to weep before the Day of Weeping, before the tearing of bones and the preoccupation of bodies, and before I am commanded to 'angels, harsh and severe, who do not disobey God in what He commands them and do what they are commanded.' ¹⁶⁰" O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom the distressed has recourse and complains, and the most generous of those in whose courtyards the sinner rubs his honored face and weeps, who said: "Blessed are those who weep over themselves before the Day of Resurrection." Ali, may God be pleased with him, passed by a black man who was speaking and wept. It was said: "What makes you weep, O Commander of the Faithful?" He said: "It is said: 'I cast my glance right and left, and saw none but God whom my heart loves. So I come in humility to You today, my Master, that You may overlook my offense and forgive my sin.'" It is narrated that God has angels whose eyes flow like rivers until the Day of Resurrection, extending the rivers with their tears out of fear of God. God Almighty says to them: "O My angels, what grieves you?" They say: "O our Lord, if the people of the earth had seen of Your might (102) and greatness what we have seen, they would not enjoy food or drink, nor would they stretch out on their beds, but would go out to the deserts moaning like cows moan." So consider, O intelligent one, how deserving you are of this weeping, if you understood where your great and ugly major sins stand compared to the state of these noble masters. For if they weep like this without sin, how should your weeping be if you were among the people of knowledge, intellect, and intelligence? And they recited: Come, let us be saved before we part, For soon this rent will be torn apart.

Come, let us describe our ailments to our Physician, perhaps He may bestow upon us a gift of generosity. Come, let us stand for a while in the funeral of sorrow, that we may be blessed and provided for in the abode of joy. Come, let us repent to God for all that has passed, for the arrow only strikes him who aims and shoots first. O God, bless and grant peace to our Master and Lord Muhammad, and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those whose dwellings and regions the visitors have blessed, and the most excellent of those who remembered You in their standing and sleeping, who said: "I saw a man from my community falling into the Fire, then his tears which he wept out of fear of God came to him and pulled him out of the Fire." It is related that God Almighty will say on the Day of Resurrection to one of His servants who wept much in the world: "Why did you weep?" He will say: "For fear of separation from You and longing for union with You." Then God Almighty will say: "I have granted you security from fear and brought you to union." And the weepers before Him are many, fearing His reckoning, and the greatest among them in that are the two noble prophets, Adam and David, peace be upon them. As for Adam, when he descended to the earth, he wept until valleys and seas flowed from his tears, and from them grass grew and trees rose. So God revealed to him: "O Adam, this weeping of yours will bring you from Me to the station of pardon and pleasure, and I have made it for you and your descendants a price with Me for the highest ranks. And out of reverence for you, I will cause to grow from it what will be perfume, medicine, and healing. For every tree that is beneficial, its first appearance and growth was from the tears of Adam, peace be upon him. And every wood that is burned as incense, its fragrance comes from his grief and his sighs." As for David, he wept until the grass of the earth grew from his tears. He would sob a sob, and what grew from his tears would turn yellow, then he would sob another sob, and what was there of grass would burn. So it was called out: "O David, are you hungry that you should be fed, or thirsty that you should be given drink, or naked that you should be clothed?" But he was answered in other than what he asked, so he increased in weeping until God sent down repentance upon him. He said: "O Lord, place my sin in my palm." So he would not stretch out his hand for food or drink without seeing it and it would make him weep. He would be brought a cup of three measures of water, and when he took it, he would see his sin, and he would not put it to his mouth without it overflowing with his tears. O God, bless and grant peace to our Master and Lord Muhammad, and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of Your beloved ones, the praisers, the thankful, and the elite of Your chosen ones, the strivers, the patient, who said: "Gabriel, peace be upon him, came to me weeping, so I said to him: 'What makes you weep, O my brother Gabriel?' He said: 'I have not had a moment's rest since God created Hell, fearing that I might disobey Him and be in it.'" It is related that when Adam, peace be upon him, descended to the earth, his grief and weeping over Paradise became great. So God revealed to him, and He knows him: "O Adam, what is this grief? What is this weeping?" He said: "O Lord, how can I not weep when my calamity is great, my sin surrounds me, I have been expelled from the dominion of my Lord, and I have come to the abode of humiliation after honor, the abode of misery after happiness, the abode of toil after rest, the abode of trial after well-being, and in that state of transience?" So God revealed to him: "O Adam, did I not create you with My hand, breathe into you of My spirit, make My angels prostrate to you, settle you in My Garden, and warn you of My severity and wrath? Yet you disobeyed My command and forgot My covenant." So he fell prostrate on his face out of fear and shame, then began to sob and weep. He remained in that state for three hundred years, then after the command and the time, he answered: "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers." They said: "You have been veiled," so I said: "The tear bears witness for me. How many a tear has rent veils in the night! I kept shedding them until my heart was illuminated by them, and the blackness of the night became lights. O weeper of the eye, rejoice in gladness tomorrow, for you have planted trees with the flood of tears. When a tear flows from the eye of one in sorrow, it causes rivers to flow in the gardens of eternity. How many a fire has blazed in the core of the heart, restraining the body from sin and burdens! A fire that removed disobedience from a body—how wondrous is a fire of the heart that extinguishes the Fire!" O God, bless and grant peace to our Master and Lord Muhammad, and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the master of masters and freemen, and the best of those whose beauty of countenance has delighted hearts and eyes. It was mentioned to him that a young man among his companions used to weep at the mention of the Fire until it confined him to his house. So the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, came to him, and when the young man looked at him, he stood up and embraced him, then fell down dead. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Prepare your companion, for the fear of the Fire has shattered his liver. By Him in whose hand is my soul, God has surely granted him refuge from it." Whoever hopes for something seeks it, and whoever fears something flees from it. It is related from Abdullah ibn Umar, may God be pleased with them both, that he said: I entered upon Aisha, may God be pleased with her, and said to her: "O Mother of the Believers, tell me of the most amazing thing you saw from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace." He said: She wept intensely and said: "All his affairs were amazing. That is, he came to me on my night, and when he entered with me under my blanket and his skin touched my skin, he said to me: 'O Aisha, will you permit me to worship my Lord?' I said to him: 'O Messenger of God, I love your closeness and I love your desire.' When I said that to him, he stood up, poured water over himself, pouring abundantly, then stood praying, reciting the Quran, and weeping until his tears wet his lap. Then he leaned on his right elbow, placed his hand on his cheek, and wept until I saw his tears wet the ground. Then Bilal came to him to call him to the dawn prayer while he was weeping. He wept at his weeping and said: 'O Messenger of God, do you weep when God has forgiven you your past and future sins?' He said: 'How can I not weep, when God has revealed to me tonight: "Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding, who remember God while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire. Our Lord, indeed whoever You admit to the Fire - You have disgraced him, and for the wrongdoers there are no helpers." [3:190-192]'" Poetry: The heart of the lover is stirred by concealment, and his tears reveal his sorrows. His tears betray the secret of his conscience, thus rending the veil of existence with disclosure. O God, bless and grant peace to our Master and Lord Muhammad, and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those whose praise the praiser has elaborated and exalted, and the most generous of those whose sea of generosity overflowed upon creatures and continued, who said: "When I was taken on the night journey, I heard a great noise in the fourth heaven. I said: 'O Gabriel, what is this noise I hear?' He said: 'The weeping of the cherubim ¹⁶¹ from the adorners ¹⁶² who have come to you.'" It is related that Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, may God be pleased with him, when night fell, he would put on a coarse garment ¹⁶³ and weep until his beard became wet. Then he would get up and pray until the morning. And it is said that he used to gather the jurists and weep with them, and they would weep until the dawn rose. O God, bless and grant peace to our Master and Lord Muhammad, and to the family of our Master Muhammad, the best of those who have been chosen, and the most honored of those who have been favored, and the most generous of those who have been asked, and the most merciful of those who have been sought for intercession, and the most truthful of those who have spoken, and the most faithful of those who have been entrusted, and the most patient of those who have been tested, and the most grateful of those who have been blessed, and the most fearing of God among them, and the most knowledgeable of them, and the most worshipful of them, and the most ascetic of them, and the most generous of them, and the most courageous of them, and the most modest of them, and the most just of them, and the most compassionate of them, and the most merciful of them, and the best of them all, may God bless him and grant him peace, and his family and companions, and grant them abundant peace.

It is narrated that the Ḥūr ¹⁶⁴ will sway gracefully before the Walī ¹⁶⁵ of Allah, and from her cheek a brilliant, dazzling light will appear. The Walī will smile, and the Ḥūr will say, 'O Walī of Allah, why do you smile?' He will reply, 'I saw on your cheek a brilliant light, and I have never seen anything more beautiful than it.' The Ḥūr will say, 'Do you know from what it was created?' He will say, 'I do not know.' She will say, 'Do you know the night when you arose from beside your wife so-and-so to pray and weep, concealing your supplication from her for one hundred and eleven nights, awakening her from her sleep? By Allah, I was in the darkness of the night before you, catching the tears of your eyes with my palm and washing with them. This light is from those tears.' And they recited: Leave aside the one formed from water and clay, and occupy your passion with the Ḥūr of Paradise, the wide-eyed ones, from every human woman to whom the Majestic said, 'O Ḥūr of Eden, be for a righteous servant.' How beautiful she is among her peers, Arab maidens, swaying coquettishly in those gardens. It is as if the radiance of her cheeks to the beholder, when she appears among the mouths of the fragrant flowers. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muḥammad and to the family of our master Muḥammad, the best of those who stood for You in obligatory and supererogatory acts, and the most knowledgeable of those who clarified the path of religion and its Sunnah, who said: 'A servant will be brought on the Day of Resurrection like a fledgling bird without feathers. He will stand before Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and his wealth which Allah granted him in the world will be presented to him. Allah will say to him, "My servant, this wealth of yours—from where did you earn it and on what did you spend it?" He will say, "O Lord, I earned it lawfully and spent it lawfully." Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will make the wealth speak by His power, and it will say, "O Lord, your servant has lied. He earned me only unlawfully and spent me only unlawfully." Allah, Exalted, will say to him, "Do you hear what your wealth says to you?" The servant will be confounded and say, "O Lord, You know best." Allah, Exalted, will say to him, "If other than your wealth testifies against you, I will punish you with the Fire." He will say, "Yes, O Lord." Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will command that the recording angels who wrote down his deeds, both good and evil, be brought. They will testify against him regarding the sins he committed. Then the grave will speak, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will say, "My servant, if other than these testify against you, I will punish you with the Fire." He will say, "Yes, O Lord." Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will bring every place where he disobeyed Allah, and they will testify against him for his disobedience. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will say, "My servant, these are the places of the earth; they have testified against you for your disobedience." The grave will say, "O Lord, You know best the saying; I accept today only a witness from myself." If his limbs testify against him for his evil deeds, then Allah, Exalted, will command that he be taken to the Fire. When the angels bring him to the Fire, it will call out, fleeing from his eyes, "O angels of my Lord, return this servant to Allah, Exalted." The angels will say, "We are the stern, severe ones; we do not disobey Allah in what He commands us, and we do what we are commanded." Then a call will come from Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "Quench my servant." So they will quench his sight toward Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and he will say, "My servant fled from Me to Me. Did I not impose upon Myself that I will not punish with the Fire an eye that wept out of fear of Me? So either You forgive him, or You hand him over to me and punish him, leaving me aside." Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will say, "O My angels, I have forgiven him." Then Allah will command that he be taken to Paradise.' O you who spend the night engrossed in pleasures, will you ever be deterred from seeking self-gratification? Work for the day of your downfall which you will witness, the day when the sun and moon are folded up. Do not belittle a small good deed you do, for many a thing is beneficial while it is belittled. Avoid evil, do not tread its path, and let there be no trace of you among its companions. For every soul will be recompensed for what it has earned, and there is no escape for creatures from their religions. The skins, our hands, our feet, hearing, and sight will all come and testify together. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muḥammad and to the family of our master Muḥammad, the best of those whose heart You protected from desires and inclinations, and the most excellent in whose gift from the gifts of Your bounty You gave the abundant portion and fulfilled the measure for him, who said: 'The worst blindness is the blindness of the heart.' And it is narrated: 'A heart without anxiety does not prosper, and a body without supplication does not succeed. Whoever prolongs his anxiety for Allah perfects his humility for Allah, and whoever perfects his supplication for Allah, his tears flow from fear of Allah.' The signs of humility in the heart are four: keeping covenants, looking in prayer to the place of prostration, emaciation of the body from fear of rejection, and whiteness from tears on the cheeks. Indeed, the pivot of affairs is the states of the hearts: if they are sound, they make sound; if they are corrupt, they corrupt, as it is reported: 'Indeed, in the body there is a lump of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound; if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart.' It is narrated that when the verse ﴿Has not the time come for those who believe that their hearts should be humbled to the remembrance of Allah﴾ ¹⁶⁶ was revealed, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, recited it to his Companions, and from every house of theirs a sound of weeping and sobbing was heard. A certain Sufi ¹⁶⁷ passed by a young man who had fallen unconscious in Baghdad and asked, 'What happened to him?' They said, 'He heard the words of Allah, Exalted: ﴿Has not the time come for those who believe that their hearts should be humbled to the remembrance of Allah﴾, and what you see befell him.' When he heard their words, he regained consciousness and began to recite: * Has not the time come for abandonment to end, * And for the branch, the branch of the willow, to smile? * And for the passionate, lovesick one who has melted and bent, * Has not the time come for him to weep and be shown mercy? * I wrote a letter of longing between my ribs, * A letter resembling the tattoo of the envious, the plunderer. Then he fell down in a swoon. We moved him, and behold, he was dead, having departed the world—may Allah have mercy on him. It is mentioned about al-Fuḍayl ibn ‘Iyāḍ ¹⁶⁸, may Allah have mercy on him, that he had taken a place to ambush for highway robbery and continued that for a time. Then one day he went out to that place, and behold, a group of donkey riders were traveling on the road, saying, 'Urge on your mounts and know that if evening overtakes you in the place of al-Fuḍayl, he will rob you.' When he heard their words, it struck him, and his soul recoiled. He remembered Allah, Exalted, and said, 'My God, my Master, my Lord, Your servant al-Fuḍayl has become one who revels in Your blessings and frightens Your servants on Your earth. I call You to witness, and I call Your angels to witness, that I will never again terrorize the road after this, ever.' Then he traveled with them until they drew near to the place where he used to rob. He heard them mentioning him and fearing him, so he said to them, 'Whom do you fear?' They said, 'Al-Fuḍayl ibn ‘Iyāḍ.' He said to them, 'I guarantee you that al-Fuḍayl will not harm you.' They said, 'O man, al-Fuḍayl is a fierce man, an enemy who cannot be overcome due to his bravery, and he does not fear Allah regarding us, so he takes whatever he desires from us.' He said, 'O people, by Allah, I am al-Fuḍayl ibn ‘Iyāḍ, and you are safe from me. By Allah, Allah will never see me after this terrorizing the road, nor will I ever do what Allah, Mighty and Majestic, dislikes.' Then he said, 'Alight with honor and hospitality.' So they alighted at the end of the day near a village so that he could bring them food. When he approached the village, he heard a reciter reciting: ﴿Has not the time come for those who believe that their hearts should be humbled to the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth﴾, and he fell down in a swoon and did not regain consciousness until the end of the night. * I reproach my heart, but it does not listen, * And I offer it advice, if only it would benefit, * I call it to follow passion, * But it does not wake up nor listen.

And he becomes distressed if he does not attain a desire ¹⁶⁹, while a lifetime passes and does not return. And desire earnestly His decree ¹⁷⁰, striving, and woe to me, what can I do? To God I flee from his guidance ¹⁷¹, for I have no refuge but my Creator. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of victorious armies and hosts, the great miracles and renowned wonders, who said: 'No man looks at the faces of his parents with a look of mercy except that God writes for him an accepted pilgrimage ¹⁷².' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whose sight the creatures are blessed, and the most honored of those whose love and affection hearts are created, who said: 'By the honor of parents, their child is like the prayer of the Prophet for his community ¹⁷³.' (118) O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose rank among the prophets was exalted and elevated, and the most excellent of those by whom hearts were healed from the disease of ignorance and blindness, who said: 'God's pleasure is in the pleasure of the parents, and His displeasure is in their displeasure.' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose remembrance tongues are accustomed, and the most generous of those from whose overflowing grace and secret the delegations drew, who said: 'May God have mercy on a parent who helps his child in being dutiful to him.' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose beauty and comeliness eyes have gazed upon, and the most fragrant of those whose scent and perfume the worlds have been perfumed with, who said: 'The womb ¹⁷⁴ is attached to the Throne, saying: Whoever connects me, God connects him; whoever cuts me off, God cuts him off.' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of ancient glory and everlasting honor, and the best of those who (119) confided in his Lord in the darkness of the night and the depths of darkness, who said: 'Maintain your ties of kinship ¹⁷⁵, even if only with a greeting.' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Messenger of Truth, the Witness, and the best of those by whom processions and gatherings are honored, to whom a man said: 'O Messenger of God, shall I strive ¹⁷⁶?' He said: 'Do you have parents?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Then strive in their service.' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those from whom divine secrets are acquired, and the most learned of those from whom the jewels of esoteric wisdom ¹⁷⁷ are borrowed and transmitted, to whom a man came to his companion Abu al-Darda' and said: 'I have a wife, and my mother commands me to divorce her.' He said: 'I heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: "Parents are the middle gate of Paradise; if you wish, lose that gate, or preserve it."' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom You granted high status and lofty aspiration, and the most generous of those by whom You relieved the distressed from the storms (120) of hardships and the greatest grief, who said: 'Among the major sins ¹⁷⁸ is a man's reviling of his parents.' They said: 'O Messenger of God, does a man revile his parents?' He said: 'Yes, he insults another man's father, so he insults his father, and he insults his mother.' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom You gave joy and expansion in the gardens of Your holiness, and the most generous of those through whose hands You bestowed upon Your servants gifts of grace and abundant giving, who said: 'Three people God will not look at on the Day of Resurrection: the one who is undutiful to his parents, the habitual drinker of wine, and the one who reminds others of what he has given.' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those from whose secret and grace You gave hearts to drink, and the most excellent of those through whom You guided servants to good and led them to the path of his guidance, who said: 'Three supplications are answered, no doubt about them: the supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveler, and the supplication of a parent against his child.' O God, bless and grant peace to our master Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad (121), the best of those whom his Lord brought near and chose, and the most honored of those whom He embraced and sheltered, who said: 'A man came to him and said: "Advise me, O Messenger of God." He said: "Do not associate anything with God, even if you are cut up or burned with fire. Do not deliberately abandon prayer; whoever deliberately abandons it has renounced the protection of God and His Messenger. Do not drink wine, for it is the root of every sin. Do not disobey your parents, even if they command you to leave your family and your worldly life. Spend on your family from your wealth, do not raise your stick against them, and fear them for God's sake."' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those on whose face shone the flashes of prophethood and the radiant lights, and the most beloved of those who stood for You in the darkness of the night and the depths of dawn, who said: 'Juraij ¹⁷⁹ was a devout man who built a hermitage and stayed in it. His mother came to him while he was praying and said: "O Juraij!" He said: "O Lord, my mother and my prayer." Then he turned to his prayer. She said: "O God, do not let him die until he sees the faces of prostitutes." The Children of Israel spoke of Juraij and his worship (122), and there was a harlot among them whose beauty was proverbial. She said: "If you wish, I will tempt him for you." She presented herself to him, but he did not pay attention to her. So she went to a shepherd who used to take shelter in his hermitage and gave herself to him, and he had intercourse with her. She became pregnant, and when she gave birth, she said: "He is the son of Juraij." They brought him down, demolished his hermitage, and began to beat him. He said: "What is the matter with you?" They said: "You committed fornication with this harlot, and she gave birth from you." He said: "Where is the child?" They brought him. He said: "Let me pray." He prayed, and when he finished, he came to the child, poked him in the belly, and said: "O boy, who is your father?" He said: "So-and-so the shepherd." They turned to Juraij, kissing him and rubbing themselves against him, and said: "We will rebuild your hermitage with gold." He said: "No, return it as it was." They did so. He said: "If God knew of any right of parents more deserving of mercy, then let the undutiful do whatever he wishes, he will never enter Paradise; and let the dutiful do whatever he wishes, he will never enter Hell."' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those through whom the nobles and leaders are distinguished, and the most beautiful of those (123) by whose remembrance gatherings and assemblies are perfumed, to whom the wife of 'Alqama came and said: 'O Messenger of God, my husband 'Alqama is in the throes of death...'

the battlefield and the gatherings of assemblies. A prayer by which You purify us from abominations and vices, and adorn us with the noblest traits and most perfect virtues, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. * Visit your parents and stand at their graves, * As if I see you have reached them, * If you had preceded them and they remained, * They would visit you out of love, not on their feet, * What was their offense against you, and how often * They gave you pure affection from their very souls, ¹²⁶ * When they saw you with an ailment, * They grieved for what you complained of, and it was hard for them, * When they heard your moaning, they shed * Their tears in sorrow upon their cheeks, * And they wished they could find you relief * With all that their hands possessed, * Yet you forgot their right on the evening they were lodged * In the abode of trial, while you dwelt in their house, * So join them tomorrow or after, * Inevitably, as they joined their own parents, * And you will be brought forward for your deeds, just as * They were brought forward for their deeds, * By your sandal [i.e., measure], if you advance a righteous deed, * And fulfill some of the duty owed to them, * And recite from the Book as much as * You can, and send that reward to them, * So keep my entire counsel and act upon it, * Perhaps you will attain piety from their piety. ¹²⁷ O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of Your sincere and certain servants, and the most beloved of Your chosen, the pious and humble, who said: "Indeed, the most excellent piety is that a man maintains ties with his father's friends after his father has passed away, and piety is obedience to one's parents and to one's upbringing in the highest 'Illiyin ¹⁸⁰." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those for whom You raised a mention in the highest assembly, and the most perfect of those to whom You gave abundant reward and recompense in both abodes, who said: "Whoever visits the grave of his parents or one of them every Friday once, he will be forgiven and recorded as dutiful." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the lamp of the righteous scholars and the crown of the virtuous gnostics ¹⁸¹, who said: "Maintaining family ties and good character cause houses to flourish and increase lifespans." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, ¹²⁸ the best of those who clarified the paths of knowledge and action, and the noblest of those whose star shone on the horizon of happiness and was perfected, who said: "Maintaining family ties increases wealth, love among family, and prolongs life." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose rank is great in the enclosures of Your holiness, and the most excellent of those whose delight is on the carpet of Your nearness, who said: "Maintain ties with your relatives, but do not live adjacent to them, for adjacency breeds rancor among you." And he said: "Maintain ties with those who cut you off, do good to those who wrong you, and speak the truth even if it is against yourself." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who drew near to the carpet of his Lord and approached, and the most ardent of those who were enraptured by His love and made His remembrance a habit and a custom, who said: "The intercessors are five: the Qur'an, the womb [i.e., family ties], trustworthiness, your Prophet, and his household; and my intercession is for my community among the righteous. Indeed, good character traits are stored with Allah Almighty; when Allah loves a servant, He grants him good character." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the adornment of adornments ¹²⁹ and the light of the eye's pupil, who said: "The month of land ¹⁸² forgives every sin except debt and trust. The month of sea is like the two months of land, and the one who travels by sea is like one wallowing in his blood on land. Between the two waves at sea is the descent of provision in obedience to Allah. Indeed, Allah Almighty has appointed those deaths to seize souls except for the martyrs of the sea; for He Himself takes their souls and forgives the land martyr all sins, except those who... and He forgives the sea martyr all sins, including adornment." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose days and times were immersed, and whose noble heart and essence were illuminated by Your love, who said: "Indeed, a man may have three days left of his life, but he maintains his family ties, so Allah increases his lifespan. Whoever wishes that Allah prolong his life, let him be dutiful to his parents, maintain family ties, and perform his prayers well." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose mention You raised in the highest assembly, and the most excellent ¹³⁰ of those whose hadiths are recited in the gatherings of lovers, who said: "Nothing repels calamity except supplication, and nothing increases lifespan except piety. Indeed, bad character is ominous, and good character brings growth. Charity removes an evil death, and whoever protects his honor thereby, it is charity. You cannot make people happy with your wealth; rather, let them be encompassed by your cheerful faces and good character. The upper hand is better than the lower hand." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the flower of fragrant breezes and the garden, and the pure of limbs, protected from speech about what does not concern him and from idle talk, who said: "Be dutiful to your fathers, and your sons will be dutiful to you. Be chaste with other people's women, and your women will be chaste. Whoever comes to you seeking reconciliation, accept it from him, whether he is right or wrong; for if he does not accept, he will not come to my Basin ¹⁸³." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose innermost being You folded with Your love, and the purest of those whose fragrance is perfumed by the breezes of Your holiness, dead and alive, ¹³¹ who said: "Three qualities: whoever possesses them will find the sweetness and taste of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else; that he loves for Allah's sake and hates for Allah's sake; and that a great fire be kindled and he fall into it is more beloved to him than..."

from associating anything with Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of every pious and eminent one, and the light of insight of every knower and jurist, who said: 'A man visited a brother of his in another village. So Allah appointed an angel on his path, and when he came to him, he said: Where do you intend to go? He said: I intend to visit a brother of mine in this village. He said: Do you have any favor upon him? He said: No, except that I love him for the sake of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. He said: Then I am a messenger of Allah to you, that Allah has loved you just as you loved him for His sake.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who treat hearts with their antidote and heal, and the most generous of those who enrich the visitor with his glance and suffice. He said: 'By Him in whose hand my soul is, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another for the sake of Allah ¹⁸⁴. Shall I not guide you to something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread peace among yourselves.' And he said: 'My love is obligatory for those who love one another for My sake, and for those who sit together for My sake, and for those who give to one another for My sake, and for those who visit one another for My sake.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose service the fortunate ones have been facilitated, and the most blessed of those whose love benefits the near and the far. He said: 'Indeed, Allah the Exalted says on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who loved one another for My majesty? Today I will shade them in My shade on a day when there is no shade but My shade.' And He says: 'Those who love one another for My majesty will have pulpits of light, and the prophets and martyrs will envy them.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose footsteps the sincere ones followed and whose Sunnah the saints and righteous ones adhered to. He said: 'Indeed, among the servants are those whom the prophets and martyrs will envy. It was said: Who are they, O Messenger of Allah? He said: They are a people who loved one another through the spirit of Allah, without any wealth or lineage, and their faces are light, meaning on pulpits of light ¹⁸⁵; they will not fear when people fear, nor will they grieve when people grieve. Then he recited: 'Verily, the friends of Allah, no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who stood for You with the Sunnah and the obligatory. He said: 'When Allah loves a servant, He calls Gabriel and says: I love so-and-so, so love him. So Gabriel loves him. Then he calls out in heaven, saying: Allah loves so-and-so, so love him. So the inhabitants of heaven love him. Then acceptance is placed for him on earth. And when Allah hates a servant, He calls Gabriel and says: I hate so-and-so, so hate him. So Gabriel hates him. Then he calls out to the inhabitants of heaven: Allah hates so-and-so, so hate him. So they hate him. Then hatred is placed for him on earth.' You are the beloved to me by right, and the master and lord absolutely. I witnessed your existence in meaning, so the attachment of creation to the Creator's pleasure ceased. And I perished from myself and from others together, and among the wonders is a union with separation ¹⁸⁶. In the chest, for love, a serpent lives, which with its bite disturbs me, and you are the charmer. I have been distracted by your remembrance from its sting, so the cup may be forgotten for the beauty of the cupbearer. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose prayer and fasting You accepted, and the most worthy of those for whom You obligated upon Muslims kindness and respect. He said: 'He who does not show mercy to people, Allah will not show mercy to him.' And he said: 'Allah has one hundred mercies; He sent down one mercy among the jinn, humans, animals, and insects, through which they show affection and mercy to one another, and through which wild beasts show affection to their young, and He withheld ninety-nine mercies with which He will show mercy to His servants on the Day of Resurrection.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those through whose blessing You repelled harm and injury, and the most successful of those through whom You facilitated for the seekers the path of reaching You and traveling. It is narrated from Abu Huraira that he said: I heard Abu al-Qasim, may Allah bless him and grant him peace ¹⁸⁷, say: 'Mercy is not removed except from a wretched person.' And he said: 'Those who show mercy will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Show mercy to those on earth, and He who is in heaven will show mercy to you. And the womb is derived from the Most Merciful; so whoever maintains it, Allah maintains him, and whoever severs it, Allah severs him. Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of good. And whoever is given his share of gentleness has been given his share of good.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those through whom the paths and ways became clear, and the most merciful of those through whom You protected the servants from the abysses of ruin and destruction. He said: 'A man entered Paradise who had never done any good. He said to his family when death approached: When I die, burn me with fire, then scatter me half in the sea and half on land. So Allah commanded the land and the sea, and they gathered him. Then He said: What made you do what you did? He said: Fear of You, O Lord. So Allah forgave him for that.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those through whose hands You caused abundant gifts to flow ¹⁸⁸, and the most excellent of those through whom You guided the servants to Your straight path and upright way. He, when he looked at his companions one day while they were laughing, said: 'Do you laugh? I do not see you laughing.' And he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained what Allah has prepared for the believers of mercy, so that they may praise Allah for what He has honored them with of His mercy, and thank Him, and do righteous deeds, for whoever hopes for His mercy works and strives, hoping to be among those of whom Allah said: 'Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.' And He said: 'So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.' And He said: 'And My mercy encompasses all things.' He means: for everything there is a share of My mercy. Ibn Abbas said: When the verse 'And My mercy encompasses all things' was revealed, Iblis ¹⁸⁹ stretched himself toward it and said: I am a thing among things, so I will have a share of His mercy. And the Jews and Christians stretched themselves. But when the Exalted's words were revealed: 'I will prescribe it for those who are righteous and give zakah and who believe in Our signs'—that is, they affirm the signs of Allah—Iblis despaired of Allah's mercy. And the Jews and Christians said: We avoid shirk and give zakah and believe in Allah, until the Exalted's words were revealed: 'Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written with them in the Torah and the Gospel'—that is, they affirm Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. So the Jews and Christians despaired, and mercy remained specifically for the believers. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the believer to occupy himself with the utmost effort in thanking Allah the Exalted and praising Him for what He has bestowed upon him by making him among the believers and the people of tawhid ¹⁹⁰. And he must adhere to performing his obligatory duties, Sunnahs, and supererogatory acts in a way that enables him to attain...

By it ¹⁹¹ the high station ¹⁹², so he is written among those who fear God, give, and carry out the command of God. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the seed of existence and creation, and the best of those whose love filled the heart and innermost being. He said: "Hope and fear do not gather ¹⁹³ in the heart of a Muslim at the time of death except that God gives him what he hopes for and averts from him what he fears." It is narrated that as long as a person is healthy, fear is better for him, but when he is ill, hope is better for him. This is because if his fear overcomes hope in a state of health, he strives in seeking obedience. And if his hope overcomes fear in a state of illness, he thinks well of his Lord. That is what is sought. As it is reported from him, may God bless him and grant him peace, in what he narrates from his Lord: "I am as My servant thinks of Me, so let him think of Me as he wishes." O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who walked in the robes of grace and favor, and the most noble of those who trusted in You and thought well of You. When Umar ibn al-Khattab entered upon him and found him weeping, he said: "What makes you weep, O Messenger of God?" He said: "God is too shy to punish a servant who has grown old in Islam. So how can one who has grown old in Islam not be shy to disobey his Lord?" So it is incumbent upon the servant to know this honor ¹⁹⁴ and thank God Almighty for it, and to be shy before Him and before the recording angels ¹⁹⁵. And to avoid sins and turn to obedience of his Lord. Yahya ibn Aktham was seen in a dream and it was said: "What did God do with you?" He said: "He called me and said: 'O evil old man, you did such and such.' I said: 'O Lord, I did not narrate this from You.' He said: 'Then what did you narrate from Me?' I said: 'Abd al-Razzaq narrated to me from Ma'mar from al-Zuhri from Urwa from Aisha from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, from Gabriel, peace be upon him, from You: You said, "No Muslim grows a gray hair in Islam while I intend to punish him," and he is an old man.' He said: 'Abd al-Razzaq spoke the truth, Ma'mar spoke the truth, al-Zuhri spoke the truth, Urwa spoke the truth, Aisha spoke the truth, the Prophet spoke the truth, Gabriel spoke the truth, and I spoke the truth.' Then He ordered me to the right, to Paradise." O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, a reminder for the heedless and forgetful, and a lamp for the learned knowers and the intelligent wise. He said: "I asked my Lord concerning the twenty-year-olds of my community, and He granted them to me. I asked God concerning the forty-year-olds of my community, and He said: 'O Muhammad, I have forgiven them.' He said: 'And the sixty-year-olds?' He said: 'I have forgiven them.' I said: 'And the seventy-year-olds?' He said: 'O Muhammad, I am too shy to punish a servant who has served Me for seventy years, not associating anything with Me, to punish him with the Fire. As for the people of the long periods ¹⁹⁶, the eighty- and ninety-year-olds, I will stand on the Day of Resurrection and say to them: "Enter Paradise from among the people, whomever you love."' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whose branch and root a person is honored, and the most generous of those whose visit and connection men boast of. He said: "God Almighty said: 'When My servant reaches forty years, I protect him from three afflictions: insanity, leprosy, and vitiligo. When he reaches fifty years, God makes repentance beloved to him. When he reaches seventy years, the angels love him. When he reaches eighty years, his good deeds are recorded and his evil deeds are dropped. When he reaches ninety years, the angels say: "May God make it easy for him on His earth, forgive his past and future sins, and allow him to intercede for his family."' O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the adornment of adornments, the brilliant beauty of the forehead and face, and the best of those from whom the jewels of wisdom are narrated and from whom benefit is derived. He said: "There was a man who showed off to people. He said to his servant: 'When you come to a vulture ¹⁹⁷, overlook it, perhaps God will overlook us.' So he met God and He overlooked him." O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who ascended the ranks of happiness and walked, and the most mighty of those who attained the stations of longing and possessed. He said: "When you commit a sin, then perform repentance at that moment: the secret with the secret, and the public with the public." And he said: "God forgave a man who removed a thorny branch from the road, his past and future sins. Paradise has eight gates, all of which open and close except the gate of repentance, for over it is an angel appointed who never closes it. So act and do not despair." And it is narrated: "O Warwara ¹⁹⁸, give glad tidings to the adorned ones ¹⁹⁹ and warn the truthful ones ²⁰⁰ not to be amazed by their deeds, for I have not placed My might and reckoning upon anyone except that he perished." O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who followed God's commands, succeeded in His limits, and the strongest of those who fulfilled His due right and kept His covenants. He said: "God forgave a man for your sins, and when God loves a servant, no sin harms him." And it is narrated: "It is better for a Muslim that God should see his sin than that the creation should see it. Is this from his knowledge of his Lord or not?" He said: "Rather, from his recognition of the generosity and bounty of God Almighty." O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom God chose for prophethood and their virtue, and the most beautiful of those whom He crowned with the crown of messengership and perfected. He said: "The purification of backbiting is that you ask forgiveness for him. The purification of sin is regret. If you did not sin, God would take you away and bring a people who sin and then He forgives them." O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose conduct the fasters and the night-prayer followers emulated, and the most excellent of those whose guidance the humble and repentant followed. He said:

Allah has opened a door of repentance from the west, its width being a journey of seventy years, which will not be closed until the sun rises from that direction. Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allah will accept his repentance ²⁰¹. Every son of Adam is a sinner, and the best of sinners are those who repent ²⁰². O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, a blessing by which we may be among those whom You have made to stand firm at Your boundaries, listening to Your prohibitions and admonitions, obeying Your commands, acting in obedience to You, and benefiting Your servants, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. You are the Desired, You are the Request and the Hope, * And You are the refuge for one whose stratagems have failed. You are the best of those to whom generosity is attributed, * And You are the One for whom I have no substitute. At Your door I stand, needy, * And my ribs burn from the descent of distress. I have great sins that You know, * But I have hope in You, O Master of creation. My provision is little, my path is not traversed, * What is my stratagem, woe to my soul, on the day I depart? My body is sick, my limbs are weakened, * My burden is heavy, and ailments have destroyed me. When I remember my sins, O You who prolongs my hope, * Then at the mention of You, the slips become small. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who built the structure of Islam and raised it, and the most excellent of those who demolished the religion of disbelief and lowered it, whose grandfather Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy used to gather Quraysh on Friday, then address them about his virtues, merits, good qualities, and glories, and remind them of his mission (peace be upon him), and inform them that he was his descendant, and command them to believe in him, and he was the first to call it Friday ²⁰³. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the pole ²⁰⁴ of majesty, great in rank and status, and the house of the noble message, dear in family and neighbors, who said: "Friday and its night are twenty-four hours; there is no hour in it except that Allah has six hundred thousand people freed from the Fire in it, all of whom had deserved the Fire." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose breast Allah expanded for faith and widened, and the most generous of those whose heart He united in love and gathering, who said: "Indeed, on Friday there is an hour in which no Muslim servant asks Allah for forgiveness except that He forgives him. And there is nothing more beloved to Allah than a repentant youth. And there is nothing more hateful to Allah than an old man who persists in his sins. And among good deeds, no good deed is more beloved to Allah than a good deed done on Friday or the night of Friday. And among sins, no sin is more hateful to Allah than a sin committed on the night of Friday." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the locus of nearness and proximity, and the best of those mentioned in authentic traditions and verses of the Book, who said: "Allah forgives all the people of Islam on Friday." And he used to say: "When it is the night of Friday, welcome the night of freedom and forgiveness. Blessed is the one who does good in it, and woe to the one who does evil in it. Indeed, Allah Almighty frees on every Friday night one hundred thousand people from the Fire, all of whom had deserved punishment." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who stood up for Your obedience and rose, and the most excellent of those who lowered his gaze from the adornments of this world and turned away, who said: "Perform ghusl ²⁰⁵ on Friday, for whoever performs ghusl on Friday has an expiation for what is between that Friday and the next, plus three days. And indeed, Allah Almighty manifests Himself to the people of Paradise on a Friday-like day, on a white mound of musk." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of great and good deeds, and the pleasing and commendable states, who said: "If Friday is safe, the days are safe. And if Ramadan is safe, the year is safe." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You purified and accepted his deed, and the most majestic of those whose request and hope You fulfilled from Your pleasure, who said: "Indeed, Allah created the days and chose Friday from among them. And He favored my community over all other communities and gave them Friday. So every deed that one of them does on Friday is recorded for him as seventy thousand good deeds. And in return for Friday, Allah forgives him his past and future sins. And he leaves this world forgiven." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam ²⁰⁶ of the merciful and the forbearing, and the rank of the successful and happy scholars, who said: "Whoever dies on Friday or the night of Friday is protected from the punishment of the grave and the punishment of Allah on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah stamps him with the stamp of the martyrs." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the sultan ²⁰⁷ of the kingdom, whose command and judgment are effective in the worlds, and the praised one in motion, whose understanding and knowledge are supported by the light of revelation, who said: "O 'Umar, adhere to the Friday prayer, for it erases sins as the earth erases what is behind it. O 'Umar, no servant performs ghusl on Friday for prayer except that he emerges from his sins like the day his mother bore him." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the delight of radiant faces and the source of knowledge and excellent sciences, who said: "O 'Umar, no servant leaves his house for the Friday prayer except that every stone and clod, and every dust he walks on, testifies for him until Friday. O 'Umar, no man puts on his clothes and goes out for the Friday prayer except that Allah looks at him and fulfills for him every need he desires from the affairs of this world and the Hereafter." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of guidance and uprightness, and the best of those who clarified the paths of religion and established it, who said: "O 'Umar, indeed Allah sends down three [angels] on Friday to the abode of this world; they hasten to that town until the muezzin calls the adhan ²⁰⁸. When the muezzin calls the adhan, they seize the register and then they remain at the gates of the register, looking..."

You granted him honor and respect, and the most noble of those for whom You have raised a station and rank in the highest paradises is he who said: "Whoever prays on Friday night after Maghrib two rak'ahs, reciting in each rak'ah al-Fatiha once and 'Idha Zulzilat' fifteen times, Allah will ease for him the agonies of death ²⁰⁹ and protect him from the punishment of the grave, and will record for him the worship of seventy years." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose homeland is beloved in hearts, and the most majestic of those whose era and time were honored with blessing and prosperity, who said: "Whoever says on Friday night: 'O Possessor of bounty over creation, O Extender of hands with giving, O Owner of sublime gifts, send blessings upon Muhammad, the best of creation, and forgive me, O Possessor of highness, on this evening,' Allah will record for him a thousand thousand good deeds." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who clarified the paths of religion and the Sunnah, and the most generous of those whose hope and trust in You were realized, who said: "Whoever prays on Friday between Dhuhr and Asr two rak'ahs, reciting in the first al-Fatiha and Ayat al-Kursi once, and 'Qul A'udhu bi Rabbi l-Falaq' fifty times, and in the second al-Fatiha once, and 'Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad' once, and 'Qul A'udhu bi Rabbi n-Nas' twenty-five times, he will not leave this world until he sees his Lord in a dream and sees his place in Paradise." End quote ²¹⁰. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whose guidance creatures are guided, and the most generous of those to whose sanctuary the wrongdoer clings and seeks protection, who said: "Whoever prays on Friday ten rak'ahs before the imam's exit, reciting in each rak'ah al-Fatiha and 'Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad' ten times, then says thereafter: 'Subhana Allah, wa l-Hamdu li-llah, wa la ilaha illa Allah, wa Allahu Akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa bi-llah,' he will not ask Allah for anything but He will give it to him." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the station of prophethood, vast and spacious, and the best of those to whom the distressed cries for help in every hardship and affliction, who said: "Whoever prays Duha on Friday two rak'ahs, Allah will record for him a hundred good deeds and erase from him a hundred evil deeds. Whoever prays four rak'ahs, Allah will raise him four hundred degrees in Paradise and forgive all his sins. Whoever prays twelve rak'ahs, Allah will record for him one thousand two hundred degrees." And he said: "Whoever says after finishing Friday prayers: 'Subhana Allah al-'Azim wa bi-Hamdihi' a hundred times, Allah will forgive him a thousand sins and for his parents twenty-four thousand sins." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the shining star of the sphere of lordship, and the possessor of the illuminated heart and pure body, who said: "Whoever recites at the beginning of the imam's greeting on Friday, before he folds his leg, al-Fatiha, 'Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad,' 'Qul A'udhu bi Rabbi l-Falaq,' and 'Qul A'udhu bi Rabbi n-Nas' seven times, Allah will forgive him his past and future sins, and he will be given reward equal to the number of those who believe in Allah and the Last Day." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the firm pillar of religion, and the possessor of ancient honor and glory, who said: "Whoever recites Surat al-Kahf on Friday, it will be a light for him from where he recites to Mecca, and he will be forgiven until the next Friday, and seventy thousand angels will send blessings upon him, and he will be protected from illness, leprosy, vitiligo, and the trial of men, and he will be protected for eight days from every trial." And it is narrated: "It will illuminate for him what is between the two Fridays." In another narration: "It will illuminate for him with light from him to the Ancient House." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom the praiser extols... "O Allah, if his end is Your pleasure, then heal him. And if his end is occupation, then free him for Your worship." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who overthrew the throne of disbelief and cut it off, and protected the religion of Islam from the path of misguidance and prevented it, who said: "Indeed, the bath on Friday removes sins from the roots of the hair completely. And there is no day among the days of my community better than Friday." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who established the rules of Sharia and clarified its rulings, and possessed the glories of lordship and led its reins, who said: "Whoever takes a bath on Friday and washes, and goes early, and draws near, and listens, and remains silent, for every step he takes he will have the reward of a year of standing and fasting." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who recited Your Great Book and beautified it, and the most excellent of those whose land and homeland You made beloved in hearts, who said: "Whoever takes a bath on Friday, his sins and misdeeds will be forgiven. Then if he delays in walking, for every step he will be recorded the deed of twenty years. Then when he finishes Friday, he will be rewarded with the deed of two hundred years." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who organized the unity of Islam and gathered it, and scattered the religion of disbelief with his sword and suppressed it, who said: "On the night of my Ascension to heaven, I saw beneath the Throne seventy soils, each soil like this world of yours seventy times, filled with angels glorifying Allah and sanctifying Him, saying in their glorification: 'O Allah, forgive those who attend Friday. O Allah, forgive those who attend Friday.'" O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose illuminated shrine is visited by visitors and companions, and before whose awe hearts and necks bow in reverence, who said:

Indeed, Allah has made Friday prayer an obligatory duty, prescribed and incumbent upon them. Whoever abandons it during my lifetime or after my death until the Day of Resurrection, out of denial of it and belittlement of its right, with a just or unjust imam ²¹¹—may Allah not unite his affairs, nor bless him in his matter; no prayer is accepted from him, no zakat ²¹², no hajj ²¹³, no fasting, no charity, and no blessing. And whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance. And whoever misses Friday prayer three times without excuse or reason, Allah seals his heart with the seal of hypocrisy. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the unique jewel of beauty, the extended shadow of the throne of prophethood, who used to say: "Friday prayer is obligatory upon every pubescent person who hears the call [to prayer] in congregation, except for a slave, a woman, a child, a sick person, or a traveler. And whoever considers himself independent of it through amusement or trade, Allah considers Himself independent of him. And Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the locus of praise and glory, the master of the people of Tihamah ²¹⁴ and Najd ²¹⁵, who said: "Whoever misses Friday prayer without an excuse should give in charity a dinar ²¹⁶; if he cannot find one, then a dirham ²¹⁷ or half a dirham, or a sa' ²¹⁸ of wheat or half a sa' or a mudd ²¹⁹." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who honored the status of knowledge and elevated it, the most generous of those who lowered the side of ignorance and abased it, who used to urge cleaning with the siwak ²²⁰ on Friday, plucking armpit hair, trimming nails, and so on. He used to say to Anas ²²¹ on Friday after prayer: "Bring me the scissors." So he would bring them, and he would trim his nails, then say: "Bring me moist clay," and he would gather his nails in it on Friday, and he would be protected from evil until the next Friday. And he used to say: "Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the wearers of turbans on Friday." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those for whom You raised mention in the highest assembly, and granted lofty honor and pride, who used to emphasize: "Whoever dies on Friday, Allah protects him from the trial of the grave." O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the flower of the gardens of intimacy, the bride of the angels and the preacher of the Holy Presence, who used to say: "Whoever recites Surat al-Kahf ²²² on Friday, a light shines forth from beneath his feet to the clouds of the sky, illuminating for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he is forgiven for what is between the two Fridays. And whoever recites Ha Mim al-Dukhan ²²³ on Friday night or day, his sins are forgiven, and seventy thousand angels seek forgiveness for him, and Allah builds for him a house in Paradise." And he used to say: "Whoever recites Ya Sin ²²⁴ on Friday night is forgiven. And whoever recites the surah in which the family of Imran ²²⁵ is mentioned on Friday, Allah sends blessings upon him and his angels until the sun sets." So send blessings, O Allah, upon him and upon his family, a blessing by which You purify our innermost secrets from the obscurities of doubt and confusion, and by which You protect us from the evil of the plots of jinn and humans, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who prays in the mihrab ²²⁶ of assembly with the spiritual souls of the higher and lower realms, and the possessor of the rank alluded to in Ta Ha ²²⁷, Ya Sin, Surat al-Furqan ²²⁸, al-Fath ²²⁹, and al-Hujurat ²³⁰. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who encompasses the meanings of the openings of receptions and inspirations, the beloved who attains the noblest stations and the highest ranks and abodes. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who encompasses the meanings of the names of named entities before creation and design, the jewel of tawhid ²³¹ that saves creatures through the lights of his sciences from the darkness of ignorance and confusion. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who gathers what is dispersed in others of the secrets of prophethood and messages, the secret in which the varieties of virtues and types of perfections culminate. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who gathers what is dispersed in others of the types of modesty and faith, the chosen one in whose beauty the greatest of the near ones and the eminent entities have perished. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who gathers what is dispersed in others of the letters of allusions and the subtleties of expressions, the unique one alluded to in His preference: "Those messengers, We preferred some of them over others. Among them are those to whom Allah spoke, and He raised some of them in degrees" ²³². O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who gathers what is dispersed in others of praiseworthy traits and dispositions, the sanctuary by whom one seeks refuge from the great calamities that mislead and the onslaughts of afflictions. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who gathers what is dispersed in others of the secrets of eloquence and clarity, the scholar steeped in the subtleties of gnosis, spiritual gifts, and the sciences of the Quran. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who gathers what is dispersed in others of the meanings of names and attributes, the secret that permeates the innermost beings of the masters of hearts and the unseen of identities. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of Friday and congregation, who gathers what is dispersed in others of the gifts of grace and generosity, the friend who is sworn to attain divine pleasure in Surat al-Duha ²³³, and praised for the great character in Surat Nun ²³⁴ and al-Qalam ²³⁵.

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday and the congregation, who unites what is scattered in others of the meanings of the surahs and verses, and the Pole ²³⁶ who has attained the highest degree of honor and the perfection of divine attentions. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday and the congregation, who unites what is scattered in others of the exquisite meanings and the mysterious secret, and the Beloved whose mention, when heard, refreshes the souls of lovers and delights them. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday and the congregation, who unites the souls yearning for Allah, and the Prophet who leads the servants by the light of his guidance to the carpet of the Divine Presence ²³⁷. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday and the congregation, who unites the hearts turning to Allah, and the Messenger who calls the servants to pure monotheism and faith in Allah. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, possessors of sovereignty and rank, and his Companions, who have no equals or likenesses in love. A blessing by which You make us among those guided by his guidance, those who draw from the ocean of his generosity and munificence, those who strive to attain his accepted obedience and win his pleasure, and grant abundant peace forever. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who love each other for Allah, and the desire of the wayfarers ²³⁸ who are attached to Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who see by the light of Allah, and the tongue of the scholars who call to Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who trust in what is with Allah, and the provision of the ascetics who rely on Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who have reached Allah, and the support of the elite who draw near to Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who stand in the Essence of Allah, and the garden of those who yearn, infatuated with the remembrance of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who strive for the pleasure of Allah, and the creed of the monotheists who hold fast to the rope of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who stand firm on the limits of Allah, and the path of the imams who act according to what Allah has revealed. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who cling with their molars to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, and the weapon of the defenders of the religion who strive in the way of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who journey to Allah, and the fortress of those who cut themselves off, devoting themselves to the service of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who are grateful for the blessings of Allah, and the joy of those who remember, gathering to recite the Book of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who rejoice at meeting Allah, and the glad tidings of the penitent who hope for the mercy of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who are veiled by the veil of Allah, and the support of the guides who lead for the benefit of Allah's servants. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who fear Allah, and the mark of the pious who are marked by obedience to Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who act in the dominion of Allah, and the treasure of the generous who spend from the treasuries of Allah's bounty. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who advise Allah's servants, and the aspiration of the notables who guide creation to Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who support the religion of Allah, and the sword of the heroes who subdue the enemies of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who receive from Allah, and the intimate conversation of the saints who weep out of fear of Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who hold fast to piety towards Allah, and the freshness of the faces of the humble who are shy before Allah. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of Friday, which is the feast of those who seek refuge in the sanctuary of Allah, and the provision of the needy who stand at the door of Allah's generosity. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, who have attained Allah's pleasure, and his Companions who sacrificed their lives in support of the religion of Allah. A blessing by which You honor his abode, ennoble his final state, and fulfill his wish and pleasure on the Day of Resurrection, and by which You make us among those who seek refuge in his protection in this world and the Hereafter and enter under his banner. And grant abundant and exalted peace. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. He is of strange description, possessing strange knowledge, his heart is sick with love of the Beloved. When the night darkens, he stands reciting and complaining of what the heart conceals. He spends his night in remembrance and reflection, uttering wondrous marvels. He has a passion for his Master that defies treatment and physicians. Whoever is such a loving servant, his dust is fragrant without perfume. O Allah, we seek means through You to You, and we ask You by Your Great and Greatest Name ²³⁹ with which You honor whom You love among Your saints, and choose whom You honor among Your elect, and protect whom You guide among Your pious, and bring near whom You choose among Your beloved, and by the Qur'an, Your speech.

the Mighty. And the majesty of the light of Your ancient glory. And by the freshness of the face of Your Prophet, our master Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, the chosen and noble one. And by his station with You and the loftiness of his magnificent rank. That You adorn our words with the joy of the truthful ones ²⁴⁰. And purify our states with the elixir of the certain and sincere ones ²⁴¹. And crown us with the dignity of the perfect saints ²⁴². And clothe us with the garments of the poles who have attained union ²⁴³. And grant us the stations of the firmly established pegs ²⁴⁴. And bestow upon us from the special secret what You have bestowed upon Your righteous beloved ones, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O God, our sin seeks refuge in Your pardon. Our fear seeks refuge in Your security. Our poverty seeks refuge in Your wealth. Our perishing and decaying faces seek refuge in Your noble, everlasting, and eternal Face. Our weak bodies seek refuge in Your mighty and protective fortress. So forgive us on this day, which is great with You, our sins. And relieve us on it of the enormities of our distress. And conceal on it the ugliness of our faults. And do not dismiss us from this gathering of ours unless You have pardoned us and forgiven us, O Best of those from whom hopeful ones hope. And Most Generous of those to whom sinners flee. And have mercy on those who seek refuge with You, the guilty. O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O God, O He who answers the distressed when he calls upon Him. O He from whom forgiveness of sins is hoped for besides Him. O He who is God in heaven and God on earth. We are Your believing servants. And Your disobedient and sinful creatures. We rely on none but You. And we have no refuge except to You. And we have gathered on this noble day and great scene before You, in obedience to Your command and in hope of what is with You, confessing the sins we have committed, fearing the transgressions we have perpetrated, and in awe of the forbidden things we have violated. And we have sought refuge in the folds of Your vast mercy and Your presence, and we have addressed You with the tongue of acknowledging servitude and confessing the right of Lordship. So make pardon and forgiveness for us the answer to Your address. And grant us what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it occurred to any human heart, in this world and the Hereafter, of Your abundant reward. Our Lord, accept from us; indeed You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. And pardon us; indeed You are the Oft-Pardoning, the Forbearing. And there is no power nor strength except through God, the Most High, the Almighty. And may God bless our master, prophet, and lord Muhammad, and his family and companions, and grant them abundant peace. * For Muhammad, the discourse of praises is magnified * And the strings of crowns of acceptance are arranged, * And to him belongs intercession and the greatest station * On the day when hearts reach the throats, choking, * So by his right, send blessings and peace upon him * A moon that attained perfection in its perfection, He possessed all beauties, his beauty and loveliness, And his generosity attained abundant kindness, He gathered all excellences, his precedence is eminent, So by his right, send blessings and peace upon him. By God, God has not created nor formed Any human or angel like Ahmad in the world, So upon him be God's blessings as long as a pen runs And his smiling light dispels the darkness, So by his right, send blessings and peace upon him. The sun of his existence rose upon the horizons With goodness in its depths and with his generosity, And creation grazes in kindness, the kindness of his bounty, Generously, and the bounty of his presence does not diminish, So by his right, send blessings and peace upon him. The repeated verses ²⁴⁵ are from the letters of his praise, And the praises of names are in his names, And the messengers are gathered under the shade of his banner On the Day of Return, and the sinner seeks refuge, So by his right, send blessings and peace upon him. The universe rejoices in his beauty, And by the letter Jim of his succor and the fulfillment of his loyalty, And the secret is the secret of his letter Ra and the letter Sin of his brilliance, A nobility that endures and a glory that never breaks, So by his right, send blessings and peace upon him. And the full moon is insignificant compared to the radiance of his face, And the star is lower than the ranks of his worth, How fortunate are those who delight in his remembrance On a day when Hell is presented to the disobedient, So by his right, send blessings and peace upon him. So upon him be God's blessings every evening And morning, and greet him with every greeting, Offered to the best of God's creation, every gift, And honor him, exalt him, and magnify him, So by his right, send blessings and peace upon him. O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who attained the rank of prophethood and sovereignty, and the most excellent of those who proclaimed Islam and erased the darkness of polytheism, who said: "Indeed, your Lord, Glorified and Exalted, says: Every good deed that the son of Adam performs is multiplied for him from ten to seven hundred times, except fasting, for it is for Me and I will reward it; he leaves his desire, his food, and his drink for My sake. And fasting is a shield from the Fire, and the smell of the mouth of the fasting person is more pleasing to God than the scent of musk." O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the imam of the divine presence ²⁴⁶ and the bride of the sovereign kingdom ²⁴⁷, who said: "When the Day of Resurrection comes, God will reveal to Ridwan ²⁴⁸: 'I have brought out the fasting ones from their graves hungry and thirsty, so go out to meet them with their desires from Paradise.' Then Ridwan will call out: 'O young servants and boys, bring trays of light!' And they will gather before him, more numerous than the stars, with fruits and delicious drinks, and they will meet the fasting men and women, and it will be said to them: 'Eat and drink with enjoyment for what you have sent forth in the days gone by.'" O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the choicest of the chosen and the model of the pious knowers ²⁴⁹, who said: "The fasting ones will come out of their graves on the Day of Resurrection, recognized by the smell of their fasting from their mouths, which is more fragrant than musk, wafting to the maidens and ewers sealed with musk at their mouths. And it will be said to them: 'Eat, for you were hungry when people were full; drink, for you were thirsty when people were quenched; and rest, for you were tired when people rested.' He said: 'So they will eat, drink, and rest while people are occupied with the reckoning in thirst and exhaustion.'" O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom his Lord honored, purified his heart, and honored by drawing him to His holy presence, and loved him, who said: "For the fasting person there are two joys: joy when he breaks his fast, and joy when he meets his Lord." O God, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the lofty and supreme rank, the place of truthful discernment and vision, who said: "Indeed, the month of Rajab is the month of God, Sha'ban is my month, and Ramadan is the month of my community. Whoever fasts a day of Rajab out of faith and seeking reward, will merit the greatest pleasure of God and be made to dwell in the highest Firdaws ²⁵⁰. And whoever fasts two days of it will have a double reward, each reward the size of the mountains of the world."

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the pole of majesty and beauty, the sea of generosity and bestowal, who said: "Whoever fasts three days of Rajab, Allah will place between him and the Fire a trench the length of a year's journey. Whoever fasts four days of it will be protected from affliction, madness, leprosy, vitiligo, and the trial of the Dajjal." ²⁵¹ O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You have girded with the sword of might and victory, the most noble of those whom You have crowned with the crown of care and pride, who said: "Whoever fasts five days of Rajab will be safe from the punishment of the grave. Whoever fasts six days of it will emerge from the grave with his face brighter than the full moon." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those for whom You have unveiled the brides of proximity, the most excellent of those through whom the afflicted, both outwardly and inwardly, seek cure from their ailments, who said: "Whoever fasts seven days of Rajab, the seven gates of Hell will be closed for him. Whoever fasts eight days of it—Paradise has eight gates—Allah will open for him, for each day of fasting, one of its gates." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom the jewels of speech are guided, the most generous of those before whom the rewards of praisers are magnified, who said: "Whoever fasts nine days of Rajab will emerge from his grave reciting 'There is no god but Allah' and will not see his face except in Paradise. Whoever fasts ten days of it, Allah will place for him on every mile of the Bridge a bed on which to rest." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the essence of generosity and valor, the best of those whom one takes as a provision in hardships, who said: "Whoever fasts eleven days of Rajab, Allah Almighty will cause him to stand on the Day of Resurrection with the standing of the secure. Whoever fasts sixteen days of it will be among the first group to visit the All-Merciful, gaze upon Him, and hear His speech." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who laid down the laws, clarified the rulings, permitted the lawful, and forbade the unlawful, who said: "Whoever fasts seventeen days of Rajab, a canopy will be set up for him on every mile of the Bridge on which to rest. Whoever fasts nineteen days of it, Allah will build for him a palace opposite Abraham and Adam, peace be upon them." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of every knower and pious one, the mercy of every fortunate and unfortunate, who said: "Whoever fasts twenty days of Rajab—and then repeats it—Allah will forgive him what has passed. So Allah has forgiven you; therefore, resume deeds for what remains." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the master of black and white, the possessor of exquisite beauty and the moon-like face, who said: "Rajab is the month of Allah, distinguished by forgiveness. In it, provisions are opened, Allah turns in repentance to His prophets, and He delivers His saints from the yoke of His trials. Whoever fasts it merits three things: forgiveness for all that has passed, protection for the remainder of his life, and safety from thirst on the Day of the Greatest Presentation." So bless him, O Allah, and his family, the springs of the most glorious honor, and his Companions, possessors of noble traits and renowned virtue, with a blessing that quenches us from the overflow of Your most abundant bestowal, and grants us through it the fullest share of Your pleasure and his, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. My God, in this first night of Rajab, those who turn to You have turned, those who seek You have sought, and those who hope for Your bounty and kindness have hoped. In this night, You have breezes, gifts, and grants that You bestow upon whom You will of Your servants, and withhold from those whom Your care has not preceded. Here I am, Your poor servant, hoping for Your bounty and kindness, O Most Generous of the generous, O Most Generous of the generous, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who clarified the truth and spread its banners, vanquished falsehood and erased its darkness, who said: "Whoever fasts fourteen days of Rajab, Allah will cause him to stand on the Day of Resurrection with the standing of the secure. Whoever fasts sixteen days of it will be guided in his silence and speech, and the worlds will be adorned with his signs and truth." Who said: "Draw near to Me by fasting Sha'ban for the fast of Ramadan. No servant fasts three days of Sha'ban and then prays blessings upon me repeatedly before breaking his fast, except that Allah forgives his past sins and blesses him in his provision." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the manifestation of the laws and rulings, the manifestation of the signs and great miracles, who said: "Sha'ban is my month, Ramadan is the month of my community, Sha'ban is the purifier, Ramadan is the purifier, and fasting Sha'ban is a shield from the Fire. Whoever wishes to meet me, let him fast it, even if only three days." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the mine of the secret and wisdom, the locus of obedience and infallibility, who said: "Gabriel informed me that Allah Almighty opens in this month three hundred gates of mercy." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the center of care and pride, the talisman of might and victory, who said: "When it is the night of the middle of Sha'ban, stand in prayer during its night and fast its day. For Allah Almighty says: 'Is there any seeker of forgiveness that I may forgive him? Is there any afflicted that I may heal him? Is there any seeker of provision that I may provide for him? Is there such and such? Is there such and such?' until dawn breaks." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the locus of forbearance and patience, the abundant portion and reward, who said: "Gabriel came to me on the night of the middle of Sha'ban and said: 'O Muhammad, raise your head to the sky.' I said: 'What night is this?' He said: 'This is a night in which Allah opens three hundred gates of mercy and forgives all who do not associate anything with Him, except a sorcerer, a soothsayer, one persistent in fornication, or a habitual drinker of wine.'"

So bless him, O Allah, and his family with a blessing that increases for us thereby reward, and stills thereby the storms of oppression, and suffices us thereby against the assault of every oppressor and the evil of every evil-doer, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, of sound tradition and chain ²⁵², and the ocean of overflowing abundance and supply ²⁵³, who said: "Indeed, in Paradise there is a gate called al-Rayyan ²⁵⁴, through which the fasting ones will enter on the Day of Resurrection; none other than them will enter through it. When they have entered, it will be closed, and no one will enter through it." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the refuge of the weak and the poor, and whose rank is exalted above all kings and sultans, who said: "When Ramadan enters, the gates of heaven are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the model for every intelligent and noble person, the master of every intimate friend ²⁵⁵ and beloved, who said: "And the matter belongs to Allah; in Ramadan, He forgives him, and his means to Allah therein are not disappointed." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the most majestic of those whose guidance perfected the noble ones ²⁵⁶ and whose generosity and bounty encompassed all creatures, who said: "O people, there has come upon you a great and blessed month of Ramadan; Allah has made its fasting an obligation and its night prayer a supererogatory act. Whoever draws near to Him therein with a good deed is like one who performed an obligatory duty in other times. And whoever performs an obligatory duty therein is like one who performed seventy obligatory duties in other times." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those before whom visitors bow ²⁵⁷ and the most generous of those through whose blessing ailments are cured, who said: "The month of Ramadan is the month of goodness and patience; its reward is Paradise, and it is the month of mutual sympathy. It is a month in which the provision of the believer is increased. Whoever feeds a fasting person therein, it will be forgiveness for his sins and emancipation of his neck from the Fire, and he will have a reward like his without diminishing anything from his reward. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness, and its end is emancipation from the Fire." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the Prophet of the community whose virtue has appeared over all other communities, and who adorned the religion whose foundation he established on the bases of piety, who used to say when Ramadan entered: "O Allah, deliver me to Ramadan and deliver Ramadan to me, and receive it from me as accepted. Ramadan is the heart of the year ²⁵⁸, and when the year is sound, all of it is sound." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of renowned knowledge and the crown of splendor and light, who said: "The sleep of the fasting person is worship, his breath is glorification, his supplication is answered, his deeds are multiplied, and his sins are forgiven." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom his Lord brought near to Him and honored with conversation and speech, and gifted with every good that is with Him, who said: "Ramadan will stand before Allah Almighty, and He will say to him: 'Whoever has a true heart, let him stand.' He will say: 'Who are you?' He will say: 'I am Ramadan.' Then he will advance to him, and two portions of light will be brought out for them: one who is given a portion of light the distance of a month's journey, another the distance of a week's journey, another the distance of an hour's journey, and another the distance of his capability." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the fragrance of garments and scent, and the most generous of those whom You protected with Your care in secret and in public, who said: "Whoever fasts Ramadan with faith and seeking reward ²⁵⁹ will have his past and future sins forgiven. The month of Ramadan is suspended between heaven and earth; it is not raised except by the alms of breaking the fast ²⁶⁰." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of praiseworthy effort and the festival of joys and happiness, who said: "Whoever attends a gathering of remembrance ²⁶¹ in Ramadan, Allah writes for him for every step the worship of a year, and he will be under the Throne on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever perseveres in congregational prayer in Ramadan, Allah will grant him an acquittal from His Fire." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those for whom You obligated upon servants to fulfill his right, and the most noble of those whom You mentioned in Your Book for his trustworthiness and truthfulness, who said: "The virtue of Rajab over other months is like the virtue of the Qur'an over other speech; the virtue of Sha'ban over other months is like my virtue over other prophets; and the virtue of Ramadan over other months is like the virtue of Allah over all His creation." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom his Lord chose for His friendship and closeness, and the most excellent of those whose heart He filled with His secrets and love, who said: "Whoever stands in prayer on the Night of Decree ²⁶² with faith and seeking reward, his previous sins will be forgiven." So bless him, O Allah, and his family with a blessing that delivers us thereby from the terror and distress of the Standing ²⁶³, and gathers us thereby in the company of the people of his love and party, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. * O company of fasting ones, glad tidings have come to you, * And the Creator has spread mention of your praise. * You have been singled out for a month in which there is emancipation and mercy, * And the Most Merciful has multiplied the reward for the fasting one. * Its mosques are frequented with recitation * And remembrance, whereas before it they complained of abandonment. * And for Allah in the last ten [nights] is a night * That has become great in goodness and exalted in worth. * So blessed are the people who attain it and witness * The descent of the angels of heaven, and they increase in remembrance. * They succeed in obtaining the forgiveness of God, and they become * Such that the fragrance of its scent is smelled upon them. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of overflowing blooming beauties, and the mine of the ultimate from the lineage of Sa'id ²⁶⁴ and Mudar ²⁶⁵, who said:

He lived in time a life everlasting and abundant, and attained what he hoped for from his Lord forever: Gardens of Eden, becoming among the blessed. He was born with the rank of the intercessor of sinners tomorrow ²⁶⁶. Muhammad is the best of those sent with the religion of guidance, openly, and the most generous of people with noble deeds, and he whose goodness encompassed all existence with generosity, and the best who surpassed every born and every one born. A sun, and he walked alone among the people. O fortunate servant who has seen her ²⁶⁷—indeed he is a man—and has attained security and forgiveness, rejoicing. So ask from Allah, if you come to her at dawn, and weep, lament, and supplicate in the darkness with regret. The best of creation, among Arabs and non-Arabs, the Hashimite ²⁶⁸ whose message spread; he is the bringer of glad tidings, the warner, the one sought for refuge; and he is the best of those who walk on foot. May the God of the Throne bless him as long as the sun rises. My master, O Messenger of Allah, these are the days of victory, goodness, and blessings, and the times of virtue, supplication, and desires. My master, O Messenger of Allah, these are the days of festivals, joys, and delights, and the stations of generosity, kindness, and fragrant breezes of mercy. My master, O Messenger of Allah, these are the days of contentment, acceptance, and exposure to the gifts of divine effusions ²⁶⁹ and the loci of the secret, eternal might, success, and salvation. My master, O Messenger of Allah, these are the times of pardon, forgiveness, and erasure of sins and misdeeds, and the harbingers of prosperity, glad tidings, happiness, and the answering of prayers. My master, O Messenger of Allah, this is the month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs. My master, O Messenger of Allah, these are the days of Ramadan and its bright nights; in it the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the houris ²⁷⁰ and immortal youths ²⁷¹ honor the fasting men and women. My master, O Messenger of Allah, this is a month in which the deeds of the righteous are raised, the names of those freed from the Fire are recorded, sins are forgiven, and slips are overlooked. My master, O Messenger of Allah, this is a month in which mercy descends, and the angels come with glad tidings for this community, congratulating it on attaining its hopes every day and night, and achieving success and elevation of ranks. My master, O Messenger of Allah, this is a month in which conditions improve, aspirations are fulfilled, deeds are accepted, and good deeds are multiplied. My master, O Messenger of Allah, this is a month in which the Lord of Might greets the souls of the fasting and revives them with contentment, pleasure, and the purest greetings. My master, O Messenger of Allah, He sent you, made you a prophet, brought you near, drew you close, chose you, selected you, and gifted your community with all kinds of good things. My master, O Messenger of Allah, Allah magnified you, honored you, ennobled you, beautified your character, perfected you, and made you generous in soul during life and after death. My master, O Messenger of Allah, He honored your rank, raised your mention, strengthened your command, and made you beloved on earth and in the heavens. My master, O Messenger of Allah, we have narrated that you were the most generous of people in goodness, and you were most generous in the month of Ramadan; when Gabriel met you, you were more generous in goodness than the sent winds. My master, O Messenger of Allah, this month of Ramadan has passed, the deeds have been established and confirmed, and the angel has recorded and copied. So bestow upon me the pleasure of Allah the Greatest and your pleasure, O bride of delights. My master, O Messenger of Allah, He spread your rank and made you a mercy for sinners and an intercessor for the disobedient. If I have committed a sin, the sea of Your pardon washes me from all faults and slips; and if I have committed a major sin that comes between me and You, or a minor one that veils me from You, You are the most generous of those who pardon, forgive, and overlook the wrongdoer and accept slips. My master, O Messenger of Allah, He made you a fortified fortress, a firm might, a refuge, and a sanctuary to which one flees in the greatest hardships and the relief of crises. My master, O Messenger of Allah, He gave you a great portion and a magnificent rank, and said to you: 'Intercede, and your intercession will be accepted; ask, and you shall be given; speak, and you shall be heard.' And I am the most deserving of people of your intercession, O accepted intercessor and pleaser of words. O Allah, make me among those who love him and follow his Sunnah, and honor me with his vision, which is the highest of outcomes and the greatest of acts of drawing near; and favor me with his sight, which is the most precious of treasures and the most abundant of gifts; and include me in the ranks of his lovers and friends, and grant me his intercession, O my Master, by his rank with You; and write for me with Your generous hand the decree of salvation for me, my family, my parents, my spouses, and all my relatives and offspring, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. My God, the patient have been given their reward without account, and the sincere have attained from You what they desired without reproach or blame; and none remains but those whom sins have distanced and before whom the doors have been closed. But, O my Master, the boldness to approach Your door and seek refuge in Your presence has carried me to what You mentioned in Your clear Book, when You said—and Your word is truth: 'Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.' ²⁷² So forgive him who has bowed his head in shame before You, thus silencing him from speech and answer; and overlook him who has clung to the hem of Your forbearance and retreated in the courtyard of Your vast and spacious sanctuary; and have mercy on him whom his sins have driven away while he calls out like a distressed seeker of help from behind a veil. O Forbearing, O Generous, O Most Merciful, O Compassionate, O Mighty, O Bestower, O Benefactor, the wrongdoer has come to You. You have commanded, O Benefactor, to overlook the wrongdoer; You are the Benefactor, and I am the wrongdoer, so overlook the ugliness of what I have, and clothe me with Your kindness, and make me independent of the kindness of anyone else, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O Lord, I have repented, so forgive my slip with generosity, and have mercy through Your pardon on him who erred and regretted. I will not do again what I used to do in my life, so take my hand, O best of those who show mercy. This is the station of a wrongdoer, fearful and trembling; he did not wrong people, but wronged himself. So pardon through Your bounty him who has come apologizing, and forgive the sins of a wrongdoer who has long committed offenses. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose words and deeds You have purified, and whose goodness and virtue You have manifested to creation, who said: 'Fasting on the day of Ashura ²⁷³ expiates the previous year.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the model of the righteous elite, the master of the Emigrants and Helpers, who said: 'Whoever fasts on the day of Ashura, Allah writes for him a thousand pilgrimages and a thousand Umrahs, and gives him the reward of a thousand martyrs, and writes for him the reward of what is between the east and the west, and he will be among those who free a thousand souls from the descendants of Ishmael, and Allah writes for him a thousand palaces in Paradise, and Allah forbids his body to the Fire.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the luminous, most brilliant light and the sweetest, most delightful speech, who said: 'Whoever fasts the ten days ²⁷⁴ until the day of Ashura will inherit the highest Paradise.' O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the praiseworthy, good conduct and the perfect, pure, and commendable character, who said:

So grant me a repentance, and multiply the life that has passed, and do not disappoint my hope, for my expectation of You is beautiful. I have no means to You except al-Mustafa ²⁷⁵, the Hashimi ²⁷⁶, preferred by revelation and the sending down ²⁷⁷. The Messenger of the Lord of creation, the eraser of sins and slips, he is the Prophet specially favored with nearness and veneration. May the Lord of the high heavens bless him and grant him peace, as long as the doves coo on the branches. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the sea of generosity, abundant in goodness and gifts, the truthful interpreter of the unseen in speech and word, who said in some of his counsels: "I counsel your women and daughters not to take off their clothes outside their homes. And beware that you spend a night without your will ²⁷⁸ written at your head, for you do not know when you sleep whether you will wake among the living or the dead. Indeed, Allah withholds the soul upon which death has been decreed during sleep when he sleeps, and sends the other [soul] to an appointed term. Humility in speech is elevation with Allah. Do not frequent the company of women or boys, for it diminishes your intellect to the extent that you descend to their intellects, along with the temptation feared in the company of women. And counsel your women not to be soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, and that they should cover themselves in their homes and lower their gaze, and not display their adornment except where Allah has commanded them. Beware of strangers entering upon your women, for they are among those with ulterior motives. Screen your women from them as you screen them from the male [relatives] who are not mahram ²⁷⁹, for they are from among men." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom You granted the rank of honor and nobility, and the most beautiful of those upon whom You bestowed the garment of guidance and uprightness, from whose counsels is what was narrated from Anas ibn Malik ²⁸⁰, who said: While the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sitting, we saw him laugh until his molars appeared. 'Umar said, "What makes you laugh, O Messenger of Allah? May my father and mother be your ransom?" He said: "Two men from my community knelt before the Lord of Might. One of them said, 'O Lord, take my right from my brother.' He said, 'Give your brother his right.' He said, 'O Lord, nothing remains of my good deeds.' He said, 'Then let him carry some of my burdens.'" And the eyes of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, overflowed with tears. Then he said: "Indeed, that is a great day, a day when people will be reluctant to have their burdens carried. Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, will say to the claimant: 'Raise your head and look at the gardens.' So he raised his head and said, 'O Lord, I see palaces of silver and castles of gold shaded with pearls. For which prophet is this? For which martyr is this?' He said, 'This is for the one who gives Me the price.' He said, 'O Lord, and who can possess that?' He said, 'You possess it.' He said, 'By what, O Lord?' He said, 'By your relieving your brother [of his burden].' He said, 'O Lord, I have forgiven him.' Allah, Most High, said: 'Take your brother's hand and enter him into Paradise.'" Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said at that: "Fear Allah and reconcile between yourselves, for Allah will reconcile between the believers on the Day of Resurrection." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You made a bringer of good news and a guide to the path of goodness, and the most honored of those whom You sent as a guide and leader for Your servants, who said in some of his counsels: "O Abu Hurayra ²⁸¹, be a good neighbor to your neighbor, and you will be a Muslim. Be a good companion to your companion, and you will be a believer. Act upon the obligations of Allah, and you will be a worshiper. Be content with Allah's division, and you will be a renunciant ²⁸²." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You mentioned in the openings of the surahs ²⁸³ and the verses of the Book, and the most rightly guided of those who led his community on the path of guidance and correctness, who said in some of his counsels: "You must follow the path of those who are prepared ²⁸⁴; when people are frightened, they are not frightened; and when people seek the firewood of Hell, they do not fear." Abu Hurayra said, "Who are they, O Messenger of Allah? Describe them to me so that I may know them." He said: "A people from my community in the end times; they will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection in the presence of the prophets. When people look at them, they will think they are prophets because of what they see of their state, until I recognize them and say: 'My community, my community.' Then they will be made known." And know that hearts are in the hand of Allah, between two fingers of the Most Merciful; He turns them as He wills. The hearts of rulers are in the hand of Allah; He withholds them from us when He wills and inclines them toward us when He wills. They have no say in the matter. So strive against them ²⁸⁵ and do not sit idle among them, for they are the deputies of Allah over His servants, and they are with Allah in a matter. So leave their affair to Him, Most High; He will deal with them as He wills. If He wills, He will pardon them for what they have done; if He wills, He will punish them for it. See them clearly, and you must hear and obey them, even if he is an Abyssinian slave with mutilated limbs." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose virtue and favor You have shown to creation, and the one whose request and desire for Your pleasure and His pleasure have been most fulfilled, who said in some of his counsels: "And defend the honor of your Muslim brother as much as you can, and do not forsake him when his sanctity is violated." For it is established from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "No Muslim man forsakes a Muslim man in a place where his sanctity is violated and his honor is diminished, except that Allah will forsake him in a place where he desires His help." So bless him, O Allah, and his family, a blessing by which we may be among those who answered his caller and responded to his call, preserved his covenants and his counsel, and acted upon what they understood of his commands and prohibitions, and followed his sunna ²⁸⁶, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. ❖ So listen to me, the words of a sincere advisor, ❖ calling to the path of the best way. ❖ Woe to youth, while we swim heedlessly ❖ in a sea of sin, the act of one who does not reason. ❖ Until when? No, and tears flow ❖ in regret like the flow of a stream. ❖ How many past [deeds] have gone from us in folly ❖ in action and speech that was not beautiful. ❖ We take words lightly, though they are light ❖ in utterance, but their weight in judgment is not borne. ❖ And the two guardians ²⁸⁷, the two guardians, record them until ❖ the Day of Reckoning; would that we had not done them. ❖ Blessed is the one who makes silence his emblem ❖ except for the exalted remembrance sent down ²⁸⁸. ❖ Indeed, salvation lies in silence, and its opposite ❖ is in its opposite: speech without artifice.

How many a slip in speech, its owner [commits]— O Lord, the plea of a stumbling, seeking-forgiveness one (215) Who is there for the wrongdoer, other than You, to forgive his sin? [And send] the most perfect of peace, like the fragrance of aloeswood, Upon the best of creation, Ahmad, the Chosen One, from Pray upon him and grant him peace, for he is the one [Who will save us] from the Fire, in the lowest, humiliating depth, From his sin, O best of every one hoped for, O best of those from whom hope is sought, and most generous of bestowers, From me, upon the Guide, the Beloved, the Messenger, The highest of stations in the former time, We hope for him on the approaching Day of Reckoning. O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those through whose blessing lands and servants are set aright, and the most noble of those who led his community on the path of guidance and rectitude, who gifted his cousin ‘Ali, noble in fathers and forefathers, with a testament that improves intention and belief, and rectifies the outward and inward, and illuminates the heart and innermost being, saying: “O ‘Ali: I bequeath to you a testament, so preserve it, for you will continue in goodness as long as you preserve my testament. O ‘Ali: The believer has three signs: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The hypocrite has three signs: he flatters when present, backbites when absent (216) and gloats over misfortune. The oppressor has three signs: he subdues those below him by force, disobeys those above him, and aids oppressors. The show-off has three signs: he is active when among people, lazy when alone, and loves to be praised in all matters. The hypocrite has three signs: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks his promise; and when he is entrusted, he betrays. The lazy person has three signs: he procrastinates until he exceeds limits, exceeds limits until he wastes, and wastes until he sins. It is not fitting for the intelligent person to be intent except on three things: a livelihood, a permissible pleasure, or a step towards an appointment.” O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose meeting brings joy to hearts, and the most fragrant of those whose scent and sweet aroma perfume the worlds, who said: “O ‘Ali: Do not please anyone at the expense of Allah’s displeasure, do not praise anyone for what Allah has given you, and do not blame anyone for what Allah has not given you. For sustenance is not brought by the greed of a greedy person, nor is it turned away by the dislike of one who dislikes it. Indeed, Allah, glorified and exalted is He, has placed relief and joy in certainty and contentment with Allah’s decree, and has placed worry and sorrow in discontent with Allah’s decree.” (217) O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those in whose meanings of perfections the minds of the people of reflection and contemplation are lost, and the most protective of those who seek shelter in the shade of His care, the people of obscurity and concealment, who said: “O ‘Ali: No poverty is worse than ignorance, no loneliness is more desolate than self-admiration, no support is more reliable than consultation, no worship is like certainty, no piety is like restraint, no nobility is like good character, no worship is like reflection.” O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You protected in secret and private counsel, and the most exalted of those whom You guarded from the calamities of doubts and claims, who said: “O ‘Ali: Everything has an affliction. The affliction of war is treachery, the affliction of knowledge is forgetfulness, the affliction of worship is showing off, the affliction of courage is transgression, the affliction of generosity is reminding [of favors], the affliction of beauty is arrogance, the affliction of lineage is boasting, the affliction of modesty is weakness, the affliction of generosity is pride, the affliction of virtue is stinginess, the affliction of munificence is extravagance, and the affliction of religion is [following] desire.” O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad (218), the best of those in whose sea of love the lovers wander and reach their end, and the most exalted of those in whose gardens of knowledge the repentant go forth and return, who said: “O ‘Ali: When someone praises you to your face, say: ‘O Allah, make me better than what they say, forgive me for what they do not know, and do not hold me accountable for what they say,’ and you will be safe from what they say.” O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of forgiveness and the banner, and the best of those whose remembrance You made a mercy and healing in hearts, who said: “O ‘Ali: When you end the day fasting, say at your breaking of the fast: ‘O Allah, for You I fasted, and upon Your provision I break my fast,’ and there will be recorded for you the reward of those who fasted, without diminishing anything from their rewards. Know that every fasting person has a supplication that is answered. So if at the first morsel one says: ‘In the name of Allah, O Possessor of vast forgiveness, forgive me,’ then indeed, whoever says it at his breaking of the fast will be forgiven. Know that fasting is a shield from the Fire. O ‘Ali: Do not face the sun and the moon directly, but turn your back to them, for facing them is a disease and turning your back to them is a cure.” O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of the pious and the noble righteous ones, and the fountainhead of beautiful (219) morals and pure traits, who said: “O ‘Ali: Recite Surah Ya Sin abundantly, for in reciting Surah Ya Sin there are ten blessings. No hungry person ever recites it except he is filled, no thirsty person recites it except he is quenched, no naked person recites it except he is clothed, no sick person recites it except he is healed, no fearful person recites it except he is made secure, no imprisoned person recites it except he is released, no unmarried person recites it except he marries, no traveler recites it except he is helped on his journey, and no one who has lost something recites it except he finds it. No one recites it over a dying person whose term has come except it eases things for him. Whoever recites it in the morning remains under Allah’s protection until evening, and whoever recites it in the evening remains under Allah’s protection until morning. O ‘Ali: Recite Ha Mim Ad-Dukhan on the night of Friday, and you will wake up forgiven. O ‘Ali: Recite Ayat al-Kursi after every prayer, and you will be given the hearts of the thankful, the reward of the prophets, and the deeds of the righteous. O ‘Ali: Recite Surah al-Hashr, and you will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection secure from all evil. O ‘Ali: Recite Tabarak [Surah al-Mulk] when you sleep, and the punishment of the grave and the questioning of Munkar and Nakir will be lifted from you. O ‘Ali: Recite ‘Say: He is Allah, the One’ [Surah al-Ikhlas] while in a state of ablution, and you will attain on the Day of Resurrection, O crown of the Most Merciful, ‘Allah,’ then enter Paradise. O ‘Ali: Recite Surah al-Baqarah, for indeed (220) in its recitation is victory, and abandoning it is regret, and the idle—meaning the sorcerers—cannot bear it.” O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom his Lord supported with obedience and piety, and the most pure of those whom He supplied with the gifts of His mercy and the abundant favors of His grace, who said: “O ‘Ali: Do not sit long in the sun, for it stirs up hidden disease, wears out clothes, and changes the complexion. O ‘Ali: A protection for you from burning is to say: ‘Glory be to You, my Lord, there is no god but You, upon You I rely, and You are the Lord of the Mighty Throne.’ O ‘Ali: A protection for you from whispering [of Satan] is to recite: ‘Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the dawn’ [Surah al-Falaq] and ‘Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind’ [Surah an-Nas]. And whoever recites the Quran, ‘We have placed between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter a concealed barrier’ [Quran 17:45] up to His saying ‘fleeing in aversion’ [Quran 17:46]. O ‘Ali: A protection for you from every evil is to say: ‘What Allah wills comes to be, and what He does not will does not come to be. I bear witness that Allah is over all things competent, and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge, and enumerated all things in number, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.’” O Allah, send prayers and peace upon our master Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the Imam of the righteous and the chosen, and the master of the Emigrants and the Helpers, (221) who said:

He has cut you off, so hasten to comply with Your commands and obey You, by Your bounty and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. O assembly of those present, strive and hasten, for the servant is only one who obeys and listens. Life is nothing but gain if you are obedient; otherwise, a man's death is undoubtedly more beneficial. There is no good in a life that shows you regret when people gather for the Great Presentation ²⁸⁹. And admonish a brother in religion if you are wise, and he inclines toward what the Law does not approve. Enjoin good, and you will be the best of those who enjoin; and forbid evil, for that is what he indulges in. Either by word if you find acceptance, or by deed, for that is more deterrent to the ignorant. If you fear that both may occur, then [forbid] with the heart, hoping for something else. And do not forbid something while you do the like of it, for your prohibition will be of no benefit. If you do not repel harm from yourself, how can you repel harm from others? Peace, like the spreading of musk whose fragrance wafts, upon the Master of creation, to whom guidance hastens: Muhammad, sent as a mercy to creation; blessings that have embers and impact in the heart. In another narration of this testament: O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the locus of glory and praise, the best of those by whom evils and afflictions were repelled from his community, who said: "O Ali, the believer has three signs: prayer, fasting, and charity. The hypocrite has three signs: he does not complete his bowing or prostration except with perfection, he hurries his prayer when he prays alone, and he is agitated in public but forgets Allah in private." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You granted honor and sovereignty, the most renowned of those whom You directed with the product of Your care and for whom You extended a hand in Your kingdom, who said: "O Ali, the oppressor has three signs: he dominates those below him, he consumes people's wealth when he gains power over it, and he does not care where he gets it from. The envied one has three signs: he flatters people in their presence, and backbites them when they are absent." On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will command the people to Paradise, and when they see a light from it created and their light, they will see the Fire surrounding them from every place. They will say: "Our Lord, if only You had admitted us to the Fire before bringing us to Your Garden." Then Allah Almighty will say: "When I showed you, because you lived in the unlawful." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the mine of generosity, kindness, and loyalty, the best of those by whom the darkness of ignorance and harshness was removed from hearts, who said: "O Ali, greet every Muslim you meet, and thirty good deeds will be recorded for you. O Ali, when you give charity, give the best and most precious of what you have, for charity from a lawful morsel is more beloved to Allah than a hundred unlawful dinars. O Ali, when a brother praises you to your face, say: 'O Allah, make me better than they think, and forgive me for what they do not know,' and vanity will leave you. O Ali, maintain ties of kinship even if they cut you off, and Allah will bless your life and grant you success in your religion, for those who sever family ties are cursed, according to His saying: 'And cut your family ties; those are the ones whom Allah has cursed, so He made them deaf and blinded their sight.' And the womb says: 'O Allah, connect those who connect me, and cut off those who cut me off.' O Ali, if the scholar is not repentant, pious, and scrupulous, his admonition will not be effective, and it will vanish as rain vanishes from an ostrich egg or from a smooth rock." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the sun of sainthood, blessed in soil and homeland, the path of guidance, the treasurer of the secret of revelation, the trusted one, who said: "O Ali, the one who takes back his gift is like the one who returns to his vomit. O Ali, a gift to a relative is permissible without recompense, and no one takes back his gift except a parent. O Ali, do not rejoice, for Allah does not love the rejoicers; be sorrowful and weep, for Allah loves every sorrowful heart. O Ali, do not clean your teeth with a basil stick or a tooth stick, for every stick is harmful; use the siwak ²⁹⁰, for it contains twenty-four virtues in religion and body." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah guided to obey Him and His family, and loved those whom He chose for His presence and for conversation and speech, who said: "...free, for those who are active at night are active by day." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You adorned with the gifts of Your excellent sciences, and the most perfect of those upon whose heart You poured the overflowing seas of Your knowledge, who said: "O Ali, whoever recites Surat al-Kahf ²⁹¹ on Friday night, a light will shine for him between heaven and earth. Whoever recites Surat al-Rahman ²⁹² on Friday night, Allah will forgive his past and future sins. O Ali, whoever recites the last verse of Surat al-Kahf when lying down, a wall of light will be built for him, and he will be shielded from everyone who seeks him. Whoever recites 'By the heaven and the night-comer' ²⁹³ when going to sleep, good deeds equal to the number of stars will be recorded for him. O Ali, when you take your bed, seek forgiveness and send blessings upon the Prophet, and say: 'Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is Greatest, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Magnificent.' O Ali, recite frequently 'Say: He is Allah, the One' ²⁹⁴, for it equals one-third of the Quran. Recite Ayat al-Kursi ²⁹⁵, for in every letter of it are a thousand blessings and a thousand mercies. O Ali, whoever recites Surat al-Mulk ²⁹⁶ at the time of his kingdom on that day and says: 'O Allah, protect me with Islam while sleeping and protect me with Islam while standing, and do not let an enemy or an envier gloat over me. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the evil of every authority; You are my Lord, holding its forelock. I ask You for all good, the hidden evil of this world and the Hereafter.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those through whom You multiplied rewards and raised ranks, and guided those who followed his law to goodness and led them on the paths of salvation, who said: "O Ali, eat olive oil and anoint with olive oil; the devil will not harm you nor approach you for forty mornings. O Ali, olive oil is the food of the pious. O Ali, eight [types of people] will enter Paradise: first, a repentant youth; the one who gives charity secretly; the one who abandons the lawful for fear of the unlawful; the one who perseveres in the Duha prayer ²⁹⁷; the one who is careful not to miss a single prayer in congregation; the one whose eyes weep from fear of Allah; the one who rubs shoulders with scholars in their gatherings; and the one who loves a believer and honors him—he is a noble one among the nobles of Paradise. O Ali, whoever is evil and harms others is cursed. Whoever does not increase in his time is in decrease; death is better for him than life."

“Better than seventy ²⁹⁸ prayers without you ²⁹⁹, O Ali: Beware of slander, for the slanderer will not enter Paradise. O Ali: Beware of adultery, for it has six consequences: three in this world and three in the Hereafter. As for those that befall him in this world: hastening of death and despair of provision; and as for those in the Hereafter: punishment, wrath of the Lord, and slipping. O Ali: Increase in this world the enduring good deeds ³⁰⁰, which are: ‘Subhan Allah, al-Hamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, and La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah al-‘Aliyy al-‘Azim.’” O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad and upon the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose Lord adorned him with the crown of His honor and care, and raise from his heart with the sword of His victory and protection, who said: “O Ali: Adhere to silence, for affliction is entrusted to speech, and whoever remains silent is safe. O Ali: You must say ‘La ilaha illa Allah,’ for it demolishes sins completely. O Ali: The mouth of the poor, its saliva and spittle, is a cure. O Ali: You must recite the Quran, for you have for every letter you recite twenty good deeds, and for those who seek forgiveness the same. ³⁰¹ O Ali: Whoever recites the Quran and does not deem lawful what it makes lawful nor deem unlawful what it makes unlawful is among those who cast the Book of Allah behind their backs in the depths of Hell. And seek help from Allah and rely on Allah, for He is your Helper and Supporter in obeying Him.” So send blessings, O Allah, upon him and upon his family, a blessing that makes us among the people of his proximity and friendship, and grants us success to the path of his guidance and direction, and bestows upon us the attainment of His greatest pleasure and the virtue of his intercession, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. Indeed, listen to the words of a sincere advisor, calling to good if you have answered the caller. I see life has passed and death is a station, by which the branch of hopes has become near. So be a hero and prepare for it the best shield, you will be safe on the day you fear evils. And no shield like prayer for protection, by which the Merciful forgives what you have committed. By it the scrolls of sins are erased honorably, so you come with eyes delighted, attaining wishes. By it you reach hopes in the best Garden, with the Generous One who has always shown favor. By it are lofty ranks in the Gardens, so you reach its highest peaks. By it some people have succeeded in their Lord’s forgiveness, though they were not seen committing sins. So He settled them in Gardens of Eden because they called upon Him in prostration, forgiving what had passed. So be frequent in performing prayer with fear, and present for it a heart pure from striving. That is my advice if you accept my counsel, and my reward with Allah I will receive in full. ³⁰² And bestow upon the best of mankind, Muhammad, peace like the flowers of the garden in its daytime. O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master and lord Muhammad, the throne of prophethood, abundant in blessing and gentleness, and the pole of the message, the savior of his community from the disease of ignorance and error, who advised his companion Abu Hurayra with splendid prophetic counsels and excellent chosen wisdoms, whose secret flows in every dead and living, saying: “O Abu Hurayra: When you perform ablution, say ‘Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah,’ for your guardian angels will continue to write good deeds for you until you finish the ablution. O Abu Hurayra: When you eat food, say ‘Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah,’ for your guardian angels will not cease writing good deeds for you until you finish it. O Abu Hurayra: When you approach your wife and what your right hand possesses, say ‘Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah,’ for the guardian angels will write good deeds for you until you perform the major ablution. If you perform the major ablution, your sins will be forgiven. O Abu Hurayra: If you have a child from that encounter, good deeds will be written for you equal to the number of breaths of that child and his offspring until nothing remains of him.” ³⁰³ O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master and lord Muhammad, Your beloved, the physician of the branch and the lineage, and the possessor of divine openings and abundant gifts, who said: “O Abu Hurayra: When you ride a mount, say ‘Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah,’ you will be among the worshippers until you dismount from its back. O Abu Hurayra: When you board a ship, say ‘Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah,’ you will be among the worshippers until you leave it. O Abu Hurayra: When you wear a garment, say ‘Bismillah wal-Hamdulillah,’ ten good deeds will be written for you for every thread. O Abu Hurayra: Do not abandon your wife except in her house, and do not beat her or insult her except in a clear matter. For if you do so, you will walk through the paths of the world while you are a freedman of Allah from the Fire.” O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those who called the servants to You and guided, and the most excellent of those whose full moon rose in the horizon of happiness and settled, who said: “O Abu Hurayra: Enjoin good and forbid evil.” He said, “How can I enjoin good and forbid evil?” He said, “Teach people good and instruct them in it. ³⁰⁴ And when you see someone committing acts of disobedience to Allah Almighty and not fearing His whip and sword, it is not permissible for you to live near him until you say to him, ‘Fear Allah.’ O Abu Hurayra: Learn the Quran and teach it to people until death comes to you while you are in that state. If you are like that, the angels will come to your grave and pray for you and seek forgiveness for you until the Day of Resurrection, just as the believers gather at the House of Allah Almighty.” O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those who were intoxicated with the drink of Your love and became drunk, and the closest of those who received Your address with satisfaction and submission and accepted, who said: “O Abu Hurayra: Befriend the believers with a cheerful face and shake their hands with greetings. If you can be like that wherever you are, then the angels, besides your guardians, will count and seek forgiveness for you and pray for you. And know that whoever leaves this world while the angels are seeking forgiveness for him, Allah will forgive him. O Abu Hurayra: If you wish to have good praise in this world and the Hereafter, restrain your tongue from backbiting people. For whoever does not backbite people, Allah will help him in this world and the Hereafter. As for His help in this world, no one will attack him except that the angels will repel him; and as for His help in the Hereafter, Allah will pardon him, then He will accept from him the best of what he did.” ³⁰⁵ O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our master and lord Muhammad and upon the family of our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those whom You honored in the abode of generosity and bliss, and the most honored of those whose rank You raised in the highest ‘Illiyin ³⁰⁶ and granted him Your immense reward, who said:

A step of freeing a slave, O Abu Hurayra: when you pass by a gathering of women, do not greet them, and if they greet you, then respond to them. O Abu Hurayra: when a Muslim greets another Muslim and he responds to him, the angels pray for him seventy times. O Abu Hurayra: the angels are amazed at the Muslim who meets another Muslim and does not greet him. O Abu Hurayra: accustom yourself to greeting, for it is a trait of the people of Paradise, and it is the greeting of the people of Paradise. O Abu Hurayra: begin and end your day with your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah, and you will begin and end your day without sin. O Abu Hurayra: good deeds erase bad deeds just as water removes dirt. O Abu Hurayra: cover the fault of your brother, and Allah will be your supporter. O Abu Hurayra: support your brother and cover him before he is brought to the authority, except in a prescribed punishment ³⁰⁷ of Allah's prescribed punishments, and beware of interceding for him yourself, for whoever's intercession prevents a prescribed punishment of Allah's prescribed punishments has indeed increased and decreased. So, O Allah, bless him and his family with a blessing that is for us a path to the way of good and a means, and by which You preserve our tongues from speaking obscenity and evil, by Your favor and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. My God, my Master, and my Lord, You have commanded the making of a will at the approach of death, and You have obligated the executor to carry it out from his wealth upon accepting his request. So I ask You, my God, to execute my will to You when I come to You. The first thing You begin with in my affair when I settle in my grave and am alone with my burden, and my family abandons me in my loneliness, is that You comfort my solitude, widen my grave, inspire me with the answer to my questioning, and write upon the scroll of my forehead in the tablet of my record, with the pen of Your generosity: "Today Allah forgives you, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful." Then, when You gather my remains and resurrect me for my appointed time, and spread out the scroll of my evil deeds and good deeds, You look at my deeds. Whatever is good, place it in the company of Your saints, and whatever is ugly, turn it to the shore of Your freed slaves, and drown it in the sea of Your pardon and faithfulness. Then, when Your servant stands before You and nothing remains but his need for You and his reliance on You, measure between Your wealth and his poverty, between Your might and his lowliness, between Your pardon and his sin, between Your knowledge and his ignorance, then do with him what You are worthy of. This is my will to You, seeking Your favor. And I bear witness that there is no god but You alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is Your servant and Messenger, and I bear witness that the religion is true, and that the path is true, and that the Hour is coming, no doubt about it, and that Allah will resurrect those in the graves. There is no power or strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Almighty. I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You, and I ask You for repentance and forgiveness, and I ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise, and I seek refuge with You from Your wrath and the Fire. O Allah, O Mighty, O Compeller, O Forbearing, O Forgiver. And may Allah bless our Master and Lord Muhammad, His chosen Prophet, and his righteous family, and his virtuous companions, and grant them abundant peace forever. And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. O Lord, have mercy on a sinner who has been brought by the people to the graves, coming alone without provision, leaving behind family and kin. His sin is exceedingly great, blackening the pages with enormities. He tastes the bitterness of what he has earned, hoping for none but You to forgive. So fulfill the hope in You, out of favor, for You are present when hope is placed. Be generous with pardon towards a wrongdoer who has wasted his life in evil deeds. He committed wrong knowingly, so now he has no excuse before any excuser. He hopes for nothing but favor, which the pious and worthy have attained. How can a sinner despair when the sea of Your favor, O Lord, is overflowing? It is not unbecoming for a generous one to forgive the perpetrator of crimes. This one among them, and You know, has been brought to the grave humiliated. So intercede for him those present, from the elders and the attendees, and all those whom You are pleased with for their religion, in secret and in public. Be with him when the grave presses him and the questioning angel terrifies his heart. Have compassion on him after that as well, in the Barzakh ³⁰⁸ and on the Last Day. For the servant, my Lord, is weak in state, lacking patience, without helper. You see him harmed by the sting of an ant, a cricket, and a spark of fire. How then can he endure punishment for sins that fill the registers? O Merciful, O Compassionate, O Forbearing towards the open sinners, O Generous, O Bountiful, O Kind to the broken, answer the prayer of the servants out of favor, and grant him what has never crossed his mind. Perhaps he will recite, "Would that my people knew," as the young emigrant recited. For that is not difficult for You, O Possessor of all measures. Your favor, my God, is not limited to the obedient. The matter is by prior decrees, and the inner reality is not by outward appearances. Replace him with covering for his family and those who are to us the best of coverers. Be for his weak offspring, who have been betrayed like fledglings of a bird, young in age, weak in state, and You are most merciful to the young. I entrust them to You, my God, so how can I fear calamities? My Lord's protection is greater than that one under His care should be lost. By the rank of the Pole ³⁰⁹ of all creation, the essence of glory and pride, the mercy to all worlds, their treasure when there is no treasure, Muhammad, the chosen one of creation, the master of all great masters, and his family, all the companions, and their followers among the righteous. And bless, O Lord, and grant peace to all of them with a good end. Reward those present with good, and accept and thank them. Forgive them for what they have committed, O Forgiver. Replace every evil deed of ours with an equal number of patient good deeds. Conclude for them, O Lord, with the testimony ³¹⁰, for it is the beginning of the immediate. May Allah have mercy on every servant who says "Amin" while departing. Its author, may Allah be pleased with him and grant him His pleasure, and make Paradise his abode and dwelling, said: When I presented these narrated hadiths, with authentic and strong chains, containing great and lofty benefits, and exquisite counsels from the speech of the best of creation, I followed them with a superior prophetic sermon, counsels and admonitions from the Chosen One, and sufficient advice that, Allah willing, will be for those who adhere to it a deliverance from perils, a fulfillment against fearful matters and terrifying horrors on the Day of the Greatest Panic, and a cure for heart diseases and apparent and hidden ailments. And I interspersed them with prayers of beautiful structure, exquisite in wording and meaning, delighting the reader and listener, and pleasing to hearts and ears. They are: O Allah, bless and grant peace to our Master and Lord Muhammad and to the family of our Master.

Then he said: "A year is good, and whoever repents a month before his death, Allah will accept his repentance." Then he said: "A month is good, and whoever repents a week before his death, Allah will accept his repentance." Then he said: "A week is good, and whoever repents a day before his death, Allah will accept his repentance." Then he said: "A day is good, and whoever repents an hour before his death, Allah will accept his repentance, and whoever repents before the gurgling of death ³¹¹, Allah will accept his repentance." Then he descended. And that was the last sermon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, delivered. And honor, generosity, glory, and greatness—a blessing by which one may be among those whose hearts are folded in love for him, and who are firm and tranquil, the secret of his Muhammadan admonitions in the blackness ³¹² of their hearts and tents ³¹³—by Your favor and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. My God, my Master, my Lord, You are Generous, Kind, Forgiving, Merciful, Acceptor of Repentance, Forbearing; You forgive those who repent from great sins, and You grant to those who believe, are sincere, and do righteous deeds the great gifts of grace. And You have prescribed mercy for the repentant, and You said—and Your word is truth: "Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself, that whoever among you does evil out of ignorance and then repents after that and reforms—then He is Forgiving, Merciful" ³¹⁴. So I ask You, O my Lord, by the sanctity of this mercy with which You have honored Your repentant servants and shown mercy to Your beloved, humble, and oft-returning ones, and by the sanctity of Your beloved, our master Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the imam of Your saints who have attained union ³¹⁵, and the model of Your chosen, sincere, and perfect ones, that You honor us with perfect repentance, and thereby erase from us every sin and misdeed, and make us thereby among Your servants who have set the Hereafter before their eyes, "whose monks ³¹⁶ recite, fearful that they are returning to their Lord. Those are hastening to good deeds, and they are foremost in them" ³¹⁷. They have demolished this world and built the Hereafter; they have reversed customs, eating by night and fasting by day, clinging to the hem of determination ³¹⁸, finding solace in the mention of death, fleeing to the deserts, adhering to seclusion, abandoning pleasures and avoiding desires. The ultimate pleasure for them is intimate conversation ³¹⁹, the delight of their eyes is the remembrance of the Beloved, and their comfort is weeping and sobbing. They remember Allah standing, sitting, and on their sides when night falls upon them. "Their sides forsake their beds" ³²⁰, "calling upon their Lord in fear and hope, and from what We have provided them, they spend" ³²¹. And when day comes, the tongue of their resolve cries out: "And to fast is better for you" ³²². And when they earn their needs, "neither trade nor sale distracts them from the remembrance of Allah, establishing prayer, and giving zakah" ³²³. And when a glance appears to them, they lower their eyes, fearing a day when hearts and eyes will be overturned. They are patient in times of need and distress, and they ask their Lord with the tongue of humility and brokenness. "And they give preference over themselves, even if they are in need" ³²⁴, "and they feed food, despite their love for it, to the poor, the orphan, and the captive" ³²⁵. They have clear evidence in the paleness of their faces, and signs in flowing tears and continuous cares and sorrows. Those are the true believers. They lived like kings and passed away on the paths of striving and spiritual wayfaring ³²⁶. So join us, O Allah, to their stations, crown us with the crown of their honor, adorn us with the sash of their care, include us in their ranks, and single us out with the specificity of their sainthood, and do not cause us to deviate from their path and way of guidance, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. ³²⁷ O blessed assembly, be sincere to Him ❖ and tighten the mounts of resolve so that the caravan may catch up. You have come swiftly to listen to admonitions ❖ perhaps a glance of mercy may draw near and distress be removed. And burdens may fall from the back, abundant ❖ for which the tears of the doors ³²⁸ have been accompanied by pouring. And indeed, some people have succeeded in goodness and elevation ❖ because they served the Master, so their lot is closeness. And we, due to shortcomings, have traversed paths ❖ that bring regret, no doubt, that breaks the heart. So O company of beloved ones, and the time has drawn near ❖ a call for those whose inner being has intellect: "Turn in repentance, repent, be sincere, then hasten ❖ to the pasture of piety; the pasture of piety is ever fertile." How often have we strayed from the presence of Truth due to absence ❖ as if there were no death and no difficult standing. And no guardian counting our deeds ❖ for a gathering where books will be spread open. If it is good, then bliss is our reward ❖ and if it is evil, then Hell is our unseen ³²⁹. So O Lord, guide us to the best of repentance ❖ by which we attain goodness and sins are forgiven. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the garden of beauties, the fragrant breezes and scents, and adorn the places, perfect in honor and pride, who said in some of his counsels: "Excellent is the companion for the king—the angel appointed over you. And beware of the second companion, who is Satan. Do not support Satan against the angel by accepting from him what he commands you. Seek help against him by accepting from the angel. Honor your companions from the noble guardian angels over you, so do not utter anything but good to them, for you must certainly read what you have dictated to them. Beware of spreading the two lungs ³³⁰ over you, and do not spread them except to turn them to other than obedience to Allah. Do not disobey Allah through a blessing; rather, gratitude for the blessing is to obey Allah through it and to seek help through it in obeying Allah. Beware of competing in it, and reduce it as much as you can, and avoid the company of its people, for their hearts are heedless of Allah due to their ignorance. When the heart is heedless of Allah, the tongue does not speak the remembrance of Allah, except that it mentions Him at a time and in a manner in which it is not permissible to mention Him, due to what Allah has dropped ³³¹ upon that remembrance." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the essence of generosity and abundant good, the maker of blessed fortune, who said in some of his counsels: "O people, turn to what you have been tasked with—the reform of your Hereafter—and turn away from what has been guaranteed for you concerning your worldly affairs. Do not use the limbs that have been implanted with His blessing to expose yourselves to His wrath through disobedience. Make your occupation the pursuit of knowledge of Him, and direct your aspirations to drawing near to Him through obedience. Indeed, whoever is content with his share of this world will miss his share of the Hereafter, and he will not be blessed in what he desires from it. And whoever is content with his share of the Hereafter will attain his share of this world and will be blessed in what he desires from the Hereafter." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those to whom needs are referred and raised, the most generous of those through whose rank one seeks intercession with Allah, who said in some of his counsels: "Allah Almighty says: 'O son of Adam, every day I provide for you while you grieve, and every day your lifespan decreases.'"

And you rejoice, you are in what suffices you, yet you seek what makes you transgress. You are not content with little, nor are you satisfied with much. O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose rank Allah raised above creation and whose excellence He exalted, the most honored whom He adorned with the ornaments of prophethood and messengership and perfected. He said in some of his counsels to a man: "Reduce your desires, and poverty will become easy for you. Reduce your sins, and death will become easy for you. Send your wealth ahead of you, and joining it will become easy. Be content with what you are given, and the reckoning will become light for you. Do not occupy yourself with what is prescribed for you by what is cut off for you. Indeed, what is allotted to you will not escape you, and you will not catch up with what has been taken from you. Do not be open in what is wasted, penetrating. The vast kingdom has no end, and you descend without moving from it." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad ³³², the best of those whose tongue Allah made to speak with the jewels of His remembrances, and the most excellent of those whose heart He filled with His cognitions and the gifts of His secrets. He said in some of his counsels: "No love of this world settles in the heart of a servant except that he becomes entangled in three things: a preoccupation whose care never leaves him, a poverty whose richness is never attained, and a hope whose end is never reached. Indeed, this world and the Hereafter are two seekers: the seeker of the Hereafter is sought by this world until he completes his provision, and the seeker of this world is sought by the Hereafter until death seizes him by the neck. Indeed, the fortunate one is he who chooses an everlasting abode whose bliss endures over a perishing one whose torment never ends. Send ahead for what you will come to, what is now in your hands, before you leave it to one who will borrow it by spending it, while he is wretched in its collection and choice." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom Your generosity and bounty encompassed, and the most excellent of those whom Your favor and bestowal overwhelmed. He said in some of his counsels: "O Qays ibn 'Asim! If you seek honor and ³³³ if you seek life, die; and if you seek this world, (seek) the Hereafter. Indeed, everything has an account, and over everything is a watcher. For every good deed is a reward, and for every evil deed is a punishment. Indeed, every term has a book. Indeed, it is inevitable, O Qays, that a companion will graze you, while he is alive and adorns his followers, while you are dead. If he is noble, he will not abandon you; if he is base, he will surrender you. Then he will not be resurrected except with you, and you will not be raised from the grave, and from life before death. By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no appeasement after death, and no abode after this world except Paradise or the Fire." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the fountain of noble qualities, generosity, and beneficence, and the best of those whom the scriptures mentioned and the monks gave glad tidings of. He said in some of his counsels: "The servant is not perfected until he possesses five traits: trust in Allah, delegation to Allah, submission to Allah's command, contentment with Allah's decree, and patience with Allah's trial. Indeed, whoever loves for Allah, hates for Allah, gives for Allah, and withholds for Allah has ³³⁴ perfected faith." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those who strengthened the pillar of Islam and raised it, and the most excellent of those who demolished the religion of disbelief and lowered it. He said in some of his counsels: "O people! There is no good in life except for a sincere scholar or an attentive listener. Indeed, the journey is swift, and you have seen the night and day how they wear out every new thing, bring near every distant thing, and bring every promised thing. The poor said to him: 'And what is the escape?' He said: 'A house of trial and cessation. So take refuge in the house, the matter is for you to cut the dark night by teaching the Qur'an, for it is an intercessor whose intercession is accepted, and a witness who is believed. Whoever places it before him, it will lead him to Paradise; whoever places it behind him, it will drive him to the Fire. It is the lowest guide to the best path. Whoever speaks by it speaks truth, whoever acts by it is rewarded, and whoever judges by it is just. Indeed, the servant at the departure of his soul and the settling in his grave sees the recompense of what he sent ahead and the scarcity of what he left behind. And for that, from falsehood with a group, and from truth, its prevention." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master and lord Muhammad, the best of those through whom a person seeks cure from the disease of his incapacity and laziness, and the most beneficial of those through whose service a person attains his sought ³³⁵ and the goal of his hope. He said in some of his counsels: "Indeed, the servant is not written among the Muslims until people are safe from his tongue and hand, nor does he attain the rank of the believers until his neighbor is secure from his evils, nor does he become among the God-fearing until he leaves what is harmless out of caution for what is harmful." [ILLISIBLE] O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the means of the supplicant and the penitent, and the mercy of the poor and the comfort of the stranger. He said in some of his counsels: "O people! Indeed, provision is divided, and nothing will change what is written for him, so be moderate in seeking. Indeed, life is limited, and no one will exceed what is decreed for him, so hasten before the term expires. Indeed, deeds are counted; no small or great deed will be neglected, so increase in righteous deeds. Indeed, in contentment there is abundance, in moderation there is sufficiency, and in asceticism there is rest. For every deed is a recompense, and everything coming is near." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose mention brings joy to hearts in their seasons and joys, and the most blessed of those through whom the greatest of their distresses and harms are repelled from creation. He said in some of his counsels: "Have you not seen those taken from the family, those driven away after tranquility, who persisted in doubts ³³⁶ and rushed to desires, until the messengers of their Lord came to them? So neither did they make up for what they had missed, nor did they return to what they had lost. They were returned upon what they had done, and they waited for what they had left behind. The warning did not avail, and the pen was held back. So may Allah have mercy on a person who sent ahead good, spent moderately, spoke truthfully, and controlled the reins of his desires, and they did not control him, and disobeyed the command of his soul, so it did not destroy him through the calamities of its pleasures." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose mention delights tongues and lips, and the most majestic of those whom the secrets follow and before whom foreheads bow. He said in some of his counsels: "Indeed, people will be brought on the Day of Resurrection from one of three things: either from a doubt they committed, or a desire for pleasure they preferred, or an anger of zeal they acted upon. So when a doubt appears to you, dispel it with certainty; when a desire presents itself to you, prevent it with asceticism; when anger befalls you, repel it with forgiveness. For indeed, on the Day of Resurrection, a caller will call: 'Let whoever has a reward from Allah stand up.' So those who forgive people will stand. Do you not see His words, glorified be He: 'So whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward is with Allah' ³³⁷." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whose mention the lions of the night ³³⁸ cling to and visit, and in whose service they spend the nights and stay awake.

He was asked: O Messenger of Allah, who are the friends of Allah ³³⁹ upon whom there is no fear, nor shall they grieve? He said: "Those who looked at the inner reality of this world when people looked at its outward appearance, and were captivated by the future of this world when people were concerned with its immediate present. So they preferred from it what they feared would kill them, and left from it what they knew would leave them. Any worldly gain that came to them they rejected, and no worldly elevation deceived them except they lowered it. The world became worn out in their eyes, so they did not build it up; it lay in ruins among them, so they did not repair it; it died in their hearts, so they did not revive it. Rather, they fled from it and built their Hereafter with it; they sold it and bought with it what remains for them. They looked at its people struck down, with exemplary punishments ³⁴⁰ befalling them, so they saw no delay or respite in what they hoped for, nor fear or grief in what they feared." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, and magnify that by which You free necks and preserve covenants. He said in some of his counsels: "You are but a succession ³⁴¹ of those who have passed and a remnant of those who have gone before. So prefer the poorest among you in means and the greatest in power. Depart from this world for those who were attached to it, and it deceived them when they were most confident in it. Neither the power of a clan nor the attainment of a false accusation availed them. So stir yourselves with the provision that conveys you before you are delayed in safety, while you are heedless of preparation, and regret does not avail when the pen has dried." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those by whom You protected souls from destruction, and the most noble of those whom You appointed in Your kingdom and extended his hands. He said in some of his counsels: "Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a wayfarer, and count yourself among the dead. When you wake up, do not speak of the evening; when you reach evening, do not speak of the morning. Take from your health for your sickness, from your youth for your old age, from your leisure for your occupation, and from your life for your death, for you do not know what your name will be tomorrow." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those through whom You granted sciences and gifts, and the most generous of those through whom the paths and schools became clear. He said in some of his counsels: "O people, let not your worldly life distract you from your Hereafter, nor prefer your desires over obedience to your Lord. Do not make your faith a means for your sins. Reckon yourselves before you are reckoned, and prepare for it before you are dismissed. Take provision for the journey before you depart, for it is but a halt of dismissal, a demand of right, and a questioning about duty." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of pleasing sayings and commendable states, and the best of those whom his Lord distinguished with beautiful character and goodness. He said in some of his counsels: "Beware of excess in food, for excess in food poisons the heart with hardness, slows the limbs from obedience, and deafens the aspirations from hearing the sermon. Beware of excess in looking, for it sows desire and generates heedlessness. Beware of harboring greed, for it imbues the heart with the heat of covetousness and stamps the heart with the seal of love of this world. It is the key to every evil and the cause of nullifying every good deed." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom Allah honored with His pardon and good treatment, and the closest of those whom He singled out for conversation and speech. He said in some of his counsels: "It is but good that is hoped for, or evil that is feared, falsehood known and avoided, truth followed and sought, a Hereafter for which we strive, and a worldly life—so turn away from it. How can one work for the Hereafter whose desire for this world does not cease, and whose lust in it is not exhausted? Indeed, the utmost wonder is for one who believes in the abode of permanence yet strives for the abode of transience. He knows that Allah's pleasure lies in obedience to Him, yet he strives to oppose Him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the possessor of the lofty rank and the abundant station, and the highest of those whom his Lord gifted with sublime gifts and abundant endowments. He said in some of his counsels: "Take yourselves to obedience, and clothe them with the veil of fear. Make your Hereafter a means for your final abode. Work, for soon you will depart and go to Allah. Nothing will avail you there except a righteous deed you have performed and a good reward you have earned. You only have power over what is inevitable. Whoever is content with it, it will be blessed for him as an expansion; whoever is not content with it, it will not be blessed for him and will not suffice him. Indeed, provision seeks a man just as his appointed term seeks him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom tongues address and whose speech is good, and whose mention makes souls dance and whose drink is pleasant. He said in some of his counsels: "This world is a house of trial, a dwelling of removal, and a snare from which the souls of the happy have been snatched and forcibly taken from the hands of the wretched. He [Allah] made them desire it to make them turn away from it, and made them wretched through it to make them desire it. It is treacherous to whoever seeks its advice, misleading to whoever obeys it. The loser is he who spends for it; the winner is he who turns away from it; the destroyed is he who falls into it. Blessed is the servant who fears his Lord in it, advises his soul, advances his repentance, and postpones his lust, without the world casting him into the Hereafter, so that he becomes in the midst of a green garden adjacent to darkness, unable to increase a good deed or decrease an evil one. Then he is raised and gathered, either to a Garden whose bliss he seeks, or a Fire whose torment is unceasing." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those whom You supported with miracles and wonders, and the most majestic of those whom You honored with noble lineage and enduring sovereignty. He said in some of his counsels: "Roll up your sleeves, for the matter is serious; prepare, for the departure is near; take provision, for the journey is long; lighten your burdens, for ahead of you is a steep pass that only the light can cross. O people, before the Hour there are evil matters, great terrors, and severe calamities. In them darkness will prevail, and the wicked will take the lead. Those who enjoin evil will appear, and those who forbid it will be struck. So hold fast to faith, clench your molars, seek refuge in righteous deeds, compel your souls to them, and be patient in adversity, so that you may attain everlasting bliss." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best of those from whose hands blessings are sought, and the greatest of those to whom creatures cry for help and flee in hardships. He said in some of his counsels:

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to his family and companions, and grant peace to the Pole ³⁴² of sovereignty, the respected and noble, the element of glory, the infallible and pure, who said: "Indeed, what Allah revealed to Moses is that those who strive to be virtuous did not attain virtue before Me like asceticism in this world, and those who draw near did not draw near to Me like piety ³⁴³ regarding what I have forbidden them, and those who worship did not worship Me like weeping out of fear of Me. As for the ascetics, I will permit them Paradise, where they will settle wherever they wish. As for the pious who abstain from what I have forbidden them, there is no servant who meets Me on the Day of Resurrection except that I will scrutinize his account, except for the pious, for I will honor and respect them and admit them to Paradise without account. As for those who weep out of fear of Me, they have the Highest Companion ³⁴⁴." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the fortress of security and safety, the bride of the kingdom adorned in the garments of contentment and pleasure, who said: "In the end times, there will be scholars who make people shine in this world but do not shine themselves, who encourage others toward the Hereafter but do not desire it themselves, who forbid visiting rulers but do not refrain, who draw near the rich and distance the poor. Those are the enemies of the All-Merciful." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best to whom caravans travel, the most honored to whom petitioners come and loads are set down before him, who said: "Whoever has a wrong against his brother concerning his honor or wealth, let him seek his pardon today before it is taken from him on a day when there will be no dinar or dirham. If he has good deeds, they will be taken from him in proportion to his wrongdoing; if he has no good deeds, some of his evil deeds will be taken and loaded onto him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to his family and companions, and grant peace to the best of those whose lineage was chosen from the noblest mines, the most perfect whose planting bore fruit in the gardens of knowledge and action, who said: "I heard Gabriel, peace be upon him, say: I heard the Lord of the Worlds, majestic is His glory, say: O My servants, I have forbidden injustice to Myself and made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another. O My servants, you are..." ...the heart, and what I fear most for my community is desire and extended hope. As for desire, it turns one away from the truth; as for extended hope, it makes one forget the Hereafter." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your beloved of high rank and station, and Your messenger guided by his conduct and guidance, who delivered a sermon to his companions that made eyes flow and hearts tremble, from which it is recorded: "O people, the best of people is a servant who takes from this world only what is necessary, accompanies piety, acts justly despite strength, and forbears despite power. Indeed, the best of people is a servant who knows obedience to his Lord and obeys Him, knows his provisions and rectifies them, knows the swiftness of his departure and prepares for it. The best provision is that accompanied by piety, the best deed is that accompanied by intention, and the highest station with Allah Almighty is the one most fearful of Him." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, possessor of noble character and pure qualities, the element of divine gifts ³⁴⁵ and excellent sciences, who said in some of his counsels: "Indeed, this world has departed turning away, and the Hereafter has adorned itself approaching. Verily, you are in a day of action without reckoning, and soon you will be in a day of reckoning without action. Allah gives this world to those He loves and those He does not love, but He gives the Hereafter only to those He loves. This world has its children, and the Hereafter has its children, so be children of the Hereafter and not children of this world. The worst thing I fear for you is following desire and extended hope, which turn your ambition toward this world. After these two, there is no good for anyone in this world or the Hereafter." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best upon whom the seas of Your gifts poured forth, the most excellent who led his community on a clear path and a right way, who said in some of his counsels: "There is no house but that the Angel of Death stands at its door five times every day. When he finds that a person's provision has expired and his term has ended, he casts upon him the agonies of death, and its pangs overwhelm him. Then among his family, some tear their hair, some strike their faces, some pull out their hair, and some cry out in woe. Death, peace be upon him, says: 'Woe to you, why this distress? What distress? I have not taken away anyone's provision, nor hastened anyone's term, nor come to anyone except by command, nor taken anyone's soul except by permission. Indeed, I have a hold on you, hold after hold, until I leave none of you.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best through whose love You have reformed my heart and body, the most successful through whom You have fulfilled my wish and request, who said in some of his counsels: "By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if they were to see that death and borrow its fatigue, they would become ascetic toward their homes and change their ways. When the deceased is carried on his bier, his soul flutters above the bier, calling: 'O my family, O my children, do not let this world play with you as it played with me. I gathered wealth from lawful and unlawful means, then left it for others. The ease is for them, and the burden is upon me. So beware of what has befallen me.'" O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best whom You crowned with the crown of honor and obedience, the most noble whom You adorned with the two ornaments of asceticism and contentment, who said in some of his counsels when asked about the signs of the Hour: "When you see people neglect prayer, follow slander, consider lying lawful, take bribes, build tall buildings, magnify the wealthy, appoint the foolish, consider usury lawful, so that the ignorant becomes a path among them and the scholar is constrained, injustice becomes a boast, mosques become thoroughfares, police and ornamentation of Qur'ans increase, minarets are lengthened, hearts become empty of religion, intoxicants are drunk, divorce increases, the wicked become prominent, immorality spreads, slander is spoken, they swear by other than Allah, the treacherous is trusted and the trustworthy betrays, they wear sheepskins over wolves' hearts—then the Hour will come." O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad, and to the family of our master Muhammad, the best who wrapped himself in the cloak of knowledge and forbearance, the most excellent whose full moon rose on the horizon of prophethood and messengership, who said: "The son of Adam grows old and two traits remain in him: greed and extended hope. Abandoning these is the term that cuts off the attainment of hope."

O Allah, bless and grant peace to our master and lord Muhammad and to the family of our master Muhammad, Your Prophet, the infallible from the defects of sins and slips, and Your chosen one crowned with the crown of knowledge and action. It is narrated from Ibn Mas'ud ³⁴⁶, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "The Messenger of Allah ³⁴⁷ drew for us a square line, and in the middle of the square he drew a line, and beside it he drew lines, and outside the square he drew a line, and said: 'Do you know what this is?' We said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said: 'This middle line is the human being, and the lines beside it are the ailments and diseases that bite him from every side; if one misses him, another strikes him. The outer line is the lifespan that encompasses him, and the line outside that is hope.'" So bless him, O Allah, and his family, with a blessing by which You repel from us the disease of incapacity and laziness, and purify our innermost beings from the filth of ignorance, error, and calamity, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. The author, may Allah pardon him, said: When I recorded his ³⁴⁸ counsels, in which he warned against the afflictions of the transient world and forbade indulgence in its desires, building its empty houses, adorning oneself with its ornaments, clinging to its fragile causes, being deceived by its embellishments, and reviving its decaying customs, and I came across this hadith ³⁴⁹ in which he ³⁵⁰ gave an example of it and its vanishing ailments, its bewildering and destructive states, and its pleasures that waste the rights of Allah and its distracting attachments, I thought to draw for his ³⁵¹ example a sublime and lofty picture, as those before me from the eminent, virtuous, and high-minded people had depicted it, and to select a picture close to the wording of the hadith ³⁵², as the author of "The Prophetic Parables" chose it. This is its picture. And I appended to it another example mentioned by the author of Kalila wa Dimna ³⁵³, which he perhaps took from the preceding example from the Best of Creation ³⁵⁴. So bless him, O Allah, and his family, with a blessing by which we become among those who listen to his beneficial wise admonitions and act upon his counsels that heal the diseases of the hearts from evil deeds and human follies, by Your grace and generosity, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds. He said: The example of a man whom fear of an elephant drove to a well, and on the edge of the well were two branches; he clung to them and hung down into the well. His feet landed on four snakes that had stuck their heads out of their holes. He looked down to the bottom of the well and saw a huge dragon with its mouth wide open. He raised his eyes to the two branches and saw two mice, a black mouse and a white mouse, gnawing at the branches. While he was in distress and concern for himself, he looked at a niche containing honey and some honeycomb, and he occupied himself with eating the honey, forgetting his concern for himself, forgetting that his feet were on four snakes, not knowing when one of them would strike, and heedless of the two mice that were gnawing the branches and that when they cut through, he would fall into the dragon's jaws. He remained distracted and heedless until he perished. The well is like the world filled with afflictions and evils; the snakes are like the four humors ³⁵⁵ that afflict man, and whenever any of them stirs, it is like the bite of vipers and deadly poison; the two branches are like life; the two mice are like night and day, constantly consuming the days and nights; the dragon is like the inevitable destiny; the honey is like the little sweetness that man sees, hears, smells, wears, and that distracts him from himself, makes him forget his state, and turns him away from the path of his salvation; and the stratagem is for himself. Then he said: This is the picture of the well. The blessed book is completed by the praise of Allah Most High and His beautiful help and grace, by the hand of the servant of his Lord, the least and most ignorant of people, the sinful, erring, weak, humble one hoping for the pardon and forgiveness of his Master, Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Muhammad al-Tadili ³⁵⁶ al-Musawi al-Barhami al-Sulaymani, from 'Ayith al-Gharib, among the descendants of the righteous saint and successful scholar, my master Abd al-Rahman al-Wajni ³⁵⁷, companion of the perfect righteous saint and most excellent erudite scholar, my master Muhammad al-Salih ³⁵⁸, father of my master Muhammad al-Mu'ti ³⁵⁹, the author of this book, born and raised in Marrakesh ³⁶⁰, where he resided. It was completed on the 29th of Dhu al-Hijjah ³⁶¹ of the year 1303 ³⁶². O Allah, forgive its scribe, his parents, his teachers, its binder, and those who helped him while he wrote, and those who prayed for them for mercy and forgiveness. Forgive and have mercy, O Allah, on all Muslim men and women.

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1. al-ʿirfān : Gnosis; spiritual knowledge of God attained through direct experience.
2. sarāʾir : Innermost secrets; the hidden depths of the soul.
3. al-ṭarīqa al-aḥmadiyya : The Ahmadine path; a Sufi order or spiritual method following the Prophet Muhammad (Ahmad).
4. al-ṣirāṭ : The bridge over Hellfire that all must cross on the Day of Judgment.
5. al-ladunniyya al-wahbiyya : Divinely-bestowed esoteric knowledge; knowledge given directly by God without intermediary.
6. jannat al-maʿārif : Garden of gnoses; a spiritual state of intimate knowledge of God.
7. al-ʿulamāʾ al-ʿāmilīn : Scholars who act upon their knowledge; those who combine knowledge with practice.
8. al-awtād : Literally 'pegs' or 'tent pegs'; in Sufi terminology, a rank of saints who are the spiritual 'pillars' of the world.
9. al-ajrās : Literally 'bells'; in Sufi terminology, a rank of saints who are like 'bells' that ring with divine knowledge.
10. al-aʿlām : Literally 'flags' or 'banners'; here referring to prominent scholars or saints who are guides.
11. al-ʿārif : A gnostic; one who has direct experiential knowledge of God (maʿrifa).
12. al-walī : A saint or friend of God; one who is under divine protection and possesses spiritual authority.
13. al-Ṣāliḥ : A title meaning 'the righteous'; here referring to a specific saint named Muhammad al-Salih.
14. dawāwīn al-ʿulūm : Collections or compendia of sciences; books that compile various fields of knowledge.
15. ʿilm al-bāṭin : The inner or esoteric knowledge; spiritual knowledge of the heart and divine mysteries.
16. al-futūḥāt al-ladunniyya : Divine openings or illuminations granted directly from God, without intermediary.
17. fiqh : Islamic jurisprudence; understanding of religious rulings.
18. faqih : A scholar of Islamic jurisprudence.
19. number 16 : Marginal annotation indicating a section or page number in the original text.
20. sadr : Chest; metaphorically, memory or heart.
21. rak'ah : Unit of Islamic prayer (salat).
22. ratq : Closed or sealed; metaphorically, the initial state of Islam before its spread.
23. ummah : The global community of Muslims.
24. number 18 : Marginal annotation.
25. sundus : Fine silk brocade.
26. istabraq : Thick silk brocade.
27. number 19 : Marginal annotation.
28. dinar : Gold coin; unit of currency.
29. dirham : Silver coin; unit of currency.
30. sunnah : The practices and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
31. biz'ah : A breach or gap; metaphorically, a deficiency in religious practice.
32. number 20 : Marginal annotation.
33. number 21 : Marginal annotation.
34. dhatiyyah : Essential; pertaining to the divine essence.
35. Ahmad : Another name of the Prophet Muhammad.
36. Sunnah : The prophetic tradition; sayings and actions of the Prophet.
37. ibn Ghalib : Reference to the Prophet Muhammad's lineage; his father was Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib, not Ghalib. Possibly a poetic license or error.
38. al-ḥawḍ : The Basin (al-Ḥawḍ) is a celestial pool from which the Prophet Muhammad will give water to his followers on the Day of Judgment.
39. al-maʿārif : Gnoses or spiritual knowledge (maʿārif) refers to direct experiential knowledge of divine realities, often associated with Sufism.
40. 23 : This number likely refers to a footnote or hadith reference in the original text; it is retained as a marker.
41. al-maʿārij : Stations of spiritual ascent (maʿārij) refer to the stages of spiritual elevation in Sufi cosmology.
42. al-muṣḥaf : The codex (muṣḥaf) is the physical book of the Qur'an, as opposed to recitation from memory.
43. al-maktūbah : The written (recitation) refers to reciting from the written codex, which is considered superior to reciting by heart.
44. al-ḥawāmīm : The Hawamim are the seven Qur'anic surahs that begin with the Arabic letters Ḥā-Mīm (Surahs 40-46).
45. fātiḥat al-kitāb : The Opening of the Book (Fātiḥat al-Kitāb) is Surah al-Fatiha, the first chapter of the Qur'an.
46. 25 : This number likely refers to a footnote or hadith reference in the original text; it is retained as a marker.
47. al-ʿulūm al-ladunniyyah : Divine sciences (al-ʿulūm al-ladunniyyah) are spiritual knowledge granted directly by God, often associated with Sufi esoteric knowledge.
48. al-mushāhadah wa al-taʿyīn : Witnessing and designation (mushāhadah wa taʿyīn) refer to the highest stages of spiritual vision and the specific manifestation of divine attributes.
49. al-ḥūr al-ʿīn : Wide-eyed maidens (ḥūr ʿīn) are celestial companions promised to the righteous in Paradise.
50. 26 : This number likely refers to a footnote or hadith reference in the original text; it is retained as a marker.
51. al-akhfiyāʾ : The hidden ones (akhfiyāʾ) are saints who are unknown to the public, often considered the elite of the spiritual hierarchy.
52. gharīzah : Natural disposition (gharīzah) here likely refers to an innate spiritual inclination or aptitude for understanding the Qur'an.
53. 27 : This number likely refers to a footnote or hadith reference in the original text; it is retained as a marker.
54. bayt al-māl : The treasury (bayt al-māl) is the public treasury in an Islamic state.
55. al-jahābidhah : Excellent scholars (jahābidhah) are those who are highly skilled and discerning in knowledge, particularly in hadith and fiqh.
56. sūrat al-lahif : Surah al-Lahif is not a standard surah name; it may be a variant or misidentification. Possibly refers to a specific surah with protective qualities.
57. al-fāʾilah : Al-Fa'ila is not a standard surah name; it may be a variant or misidentification. Possibly refers to a surah that intercedes for its reciter.
58. Malakut : The invisible, spiritual realm of divine sovereignty and dominion, often associated with the angelic world.
59. al-Firdaws : The highest level of Paradise, the most excellent abode in the afterlife.
60. Surah al-Qadr : Chapter 97 of the Quran, 'The Power,' revealed about the Night of Decree.
61. al-Mubayyidah : Literally 'the whitening one,' a name for a surah that whitens the face of its reciter.
62. Surah al-Takathur : Chapter 102 of the Quran, 'The Rivalry in Worldly Increase.'
63. Surah al-Mulk : Chapter 67 of the Quran, 'The Sovereignty,' which protects from the punishment of the grave.
64. the Criterion : Al-Furqan, a name for the Quran, meaning the distinction between truth and falsehood.
65. Ayat al-Kursi : Verse 255 of Surah al-Baqarah, the Throne Verse, considered the greatest verse of the Quran.
66. Surah al-Fatihah : The Opening Chapter of the Quran, consisting of seven verses.
67. the Leg of the Throne : A reference to a divine attribute or a specific part of the Throne of Allah, mentioned in some hadiths.
68. Surah Ya Sin : Chapter 36 of the Quran, often called the heart of the Quran.
69. Say: He is Allah, the One : Surah al-Ikhlas (Chapter 112), a declaration of God's oneness.
70. When the earth is shaken : Surah al-Zalzalah (Chapter 99).
71. Say: O disbelievers : Surah al-Kafirun (Chapter 109).
72. When the victory of Allah comes : Surah al-Nasr (Chapter 110).
73. When the sun is wrapped up : Surah al-Takwir (Chapter 81).
74. When the sky is split open : Surah al-Infitar (Chapter 82).
75. When the sky is rent asunder : Surah al-Inshiqaq (Chapter 84).
76. Surah al-Dukhan : Chapter 44 of the Quran, 'The Smoke.'
77. Musabbihat : Surahs that begin with the glorification of Allah (e.g., al-Hadid, al-Hashr, al-Saff, al-Jumu'ah, al-Taghabun, al-A'la).
78. sinnan mutahallilan : Literally 'a smiling tooth'; a metaphorical expression for a radiant, joyful encounter in the grave, possibly referring to a vision of the Prophet or a righteous person.
79. tāj wa al-ḥulā : Crown and ornaments; symbolic of honor and divine light bestowed upon the parents of the reader.
80. ahl Allāh : The people of Allah; a term for the elite saints and righteous who are especially close to God.
81. Tabārak : Refers to Surah al-Mulk (67), which begins with 'Tabāraka' (Blessed is He).
82. 'Illiyin : The highest station in Paradise, often associated with the record of the righteous.
83. ḥaqqan ʿalā Allāh : A divine obligation or right upon Allah, indicating His promise to reward or please the believer.
84. al-Muhājirūn : The Emigrants; early Muslims who migrated from Mecca to Medina with the Prophet Muhammad.
85. al-Anṣār : The Helpers; residents of Medina who supported the Emigrants and the Prophet.
86. Ḥamalat al-ʿArsh : The bearers of the Throne; angels who carry Allah's Throne, mentioned in the Quran.
87. Kanz al-Sirr al-Maṭlūb : The treasure of the sought-after secret; a Sufi term referring to the Prophet as the repository of divine mysteries.
88. al-Dhikr : Remembrance of Allah, often through recitation of His names or Quranic verses.
89. Qāḍī al-Hawā : The judge of passion; a poetic personification of carnal desire as a ruling force.
90. Ṭā Hā : The Arabic letters Ta and Ha; title of Surah 20 of the Quran, often used as a name for the Prophet.
91. Yā Sīn : The Arabic letters Ya and Sin; title of Surah 36, considered the heart of the Quran.
92. Ḥā Mīm : The Arabic letters Ha and Mim; opening letters of several Quranic chapters, used in supplications.
93. al-Raʿd : The Thunder; title of Surah 13 of the Quran.
94. al-Sunnah : The prophetic tradition; the teachings, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad.
95. al-Malaʾ al-Aʿlā : The highest assembly; refers to the angels or the divine presence.
96. Ḥajj : The major pilgrimage to Mecca, obligatory once in a lifetime for able Muslims.
97. ʿUmrah : The lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, performed at any time of the year.
98. Umrah : The lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, performed at any time of the year, involving Tawaf and Sa'i.
99. Sunnah : The practices and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, considered a model for Muslims.
100. mosque : Referring to the Sacred Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca.
101. Tawaf : The act of circumambulating the Kaaba seven times in a counterclockwise direction.
102. Sha'ban : The eighth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the night of the middle of Sha'ban is considered a night of forgiveness.
103. Wali al-Ni‘ma : A title meaning 'the saint of grace' or 'the friend of blessing', referring to a person of high spiritual station who is a recipient of divine grace.
104. al-‘Īdayn : The two major Islamic festivals: Eid al-Fitr (after Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (during Hajj).
105. yazūrū : Literally 'they visit'; here it may refer to the believers visiting each other or being visited by mercy.
106. al-manāzil : Stations or ranks in the spiritual journey or in Paradise.
107. sirr muḥaqqaq : A realized secret; a term in Sufism referring to the innermost spiritual reality that is directly experienced.
108. tasāyalā : They ask each other; possibly meaning they inquire about each other's well-being or exchange greetings.
109. liyubshirahumā : To give glad tidings to them; the phrase is ambiguous, possibly meaning the mercy is for the one who gives glad tidings.
110. Zayn al-Zayn : The ornament of ornaments; a superlative expression of beauty and excellence.
111. al-malā’ika al-muqarrabīn : The angels brought near (to Allah); a category of high-ranking angels.
112. tawājadū : They were moved with spiritual ecstasy; a term in Sufism for the state of wajd (ecstatic finding).
113. Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī : A prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad, known for hosting him in Medina.
114. al-awwāh : One who sighs frequently out of fear or longing for Allah; a term for a deeply devout person.
115. ṣāḥib maks : A tax collector; in Islamic tradition, tax collectors were often viewed negatively due to unjust practices.
116. al-barakah : Divine blessing, increase, and goodness from Allah.
117. yusāfīhu : To purify or make sincere; here, to purify the servant through trials.
118. mujīb : One who responds; here, a person who responds to the call of the Prophet.
119. al-jinān : Gardens, referring to Paradise.
120. Āmīn : A word said after reciting Al-Fatiha in prayer, meaning 'O Allah, respond'.
121. al-aqṭāb al-wāṣilīn : The spiritual poles (saints) who have reached Allah through spiritual wayfaring.
122. dirham : A silver coin, unit of currency.
123. qibla : The direction of prayer towards the Kaaba in Mecca.
124. al-sufra : A dining cloth or table spread for food.
125. sunna : The established practices and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
126. عِشْرِينَ وَأَرْبَعِينَ : Twenty-four: likely a reference to a specific number of rewards or forgiveness, possibly based on a hadith.
127. رَمَضَانَ : Ramadan: the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, a month of fasting.
128. خَزَائِنِ الْغُيُوبِ : Treasuries of the unseen: refers to hidden divine knowledge and mysteries.
129. السِّوَاكِ : Siwak: a teeth-cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree, used for oral hygiene.
130. الْمُحْتَسِبُ : Muhtasib: one who seeks reward from Allah, often by enduring hardship patiently.
131. قَصَارٌ : Fuller: a person who cleans and thickens cloth, here possibly a profession.
132. الضُّحَى : Al-Duha: the forenoon prayer, also known as Salat al-Duha or Ishraq prayer.
133. al-hamm : Anxiety or distress; a form of affliction.
134. bahr al-karam : Sea of generosity; a metaphorical description of the Prophet's boundless generosity.
135. al-judham wa al-barash : Leprosy and vitiligo; two severe skin diseases.
136. kullu dhi kabidin ratbatin : Every living creature with a moist liver; i.e., every living being.
137. baghtatan : Suddenly; refers to an unexpected death.
138. al-laghw : Idle talk or vain speech; often associated with oaths or frivolous statements in transactions.
139. ṣadaqah : Voluntary charity given for the sake of Allah, distinct from obligatory zakat.
140. ṣadaqah : Here, charity is recommended as a means of healing.
141. ṣadaqah : Charity is believed to bring divine replacement and increase in provision.
142. ṣadaqah : The tradition emphasizes the spiritual struggle against Satanic whispers when giving charity.
143. ṣadaqah : The story illustrates the virtue of charity even in extreme poverty.
144. ṣadaqah : The poem urges sincerity and repentance, highlighting the importance of charity.
145. ʿIlliyyīn : The highest station in Paradise, often associated with the righteous and the elite.
146. tarannamtum : To chant or sing melodiously, here referring to reciting with a pleasing voice, possibly implying sincere supplication.
147. rakʿah : A unit of Islamic prayer, consisting of a sequence of standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting.
148. Qur'an 4:110 : A verse from the Qur'an emphasizing God's forgiveness for those who seek it after wrongdoing.
149. ḥadīth : A report of the sayings, actions, or approvals of the Prophet Muhammad, forming a major source of Islamic law and guidance.
150. qabla : Here meaning 'before' in the sense of 'before the person's death,' with the implication that God accepts repentance before the soul leaves the body.
151. Iblīs : The name of Satan in Islam, a jinn who refused to bow to Adam and was cast out of Paradise.
152. yugharghiru bihā : Literally 'gurgles with it,' meaning the soul reaches the throat at the moment of death, indicating the final opportunity for repentance.
153. al-ʿArsh : The Throne of God, the greatest of all created things, symbolizing His sovereignty and majesty.
154. Qur'an 20:82 : A verse from the Qur'an promising forgiveness to those who repent, believe, do good, and remain guided.
155. imām : A leader, especially in prayer; here referring to the Prophet's family as spiritual guides.
156. ḥūr : Beautiful, pure companions in Paradise, often described as maidens with large eyes.
157. wildān : Eternal youths in Paradise who serve the inhabitants.
158. al-Mukhtār : The Chosen One, a title of the Prophet Muhammad.
159. khaṣm : The adversary or opponent; here referring to the angel or person who disputed with David regarding his sin.
160. Qur'an 66:6 : A verse describing the angels of Hell as harsh and severe, obedient to God's commands.
161. al-karūbiyyīn : Cherubim: a class of angels, often associated with nearness to God and intense worship.
162. al-zaynīn : Adorners: possibly a reference to angels who adorn or beautify the heavens, or those who are adorned with devotion.
163. midra‘ah : A coarse woolen garment, often worn by ascetics and penitents.
164. Ḥūr : Celestial maidens of Paradise, described as wide-eyed and pure companions for the righteous.
165. Walī : A saint or friend of Allah, a righteous servant close to God.
166. Qur'an 57:16 : The verse: 'Has not the time come for those who believe that their hearts should be humbled to the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth?'
167. Sufi : A practitioner of Sufism, Islamic mysticism focused on spiritual purification and closeness to God.
168. al-Fuḍayl ibn ‘Iyāḍ : A renowned early Muslim ascetic and scholar (d. 803 CE), known for his repentance from banditry to piety.
169. shahwa : Desire, often referring to carnal or worldly desire.
170. khattihi : His decree or command; here referring to God's decree.
171. rushdihi : His guidance; here possibly referring to the person's own misguided guidance.
172. hajja mabrura : An accepted pilgrimage; a pilgrimage performed correctly and accepted by God.
173. du'a' al-nabi li-ummatihi : The prayer of the Prophet for his community; indicating the high status of parents.
174. al-rahim : The womb; symbolizing kinship ties.
175. arhamakum : Your ties of kinship; maintaining family relations.
176. ajahid : Shall I strive (in jihad)? Here interpreted as striving in service to parents.
177. al-hikam al-ladunniyya : Esoteric wisdom; divine knowledge granted directly by God.
178. al-kaba'ir : Major sins; grave offenses in Islam.
179. Juraij : A pious man from the Children of Israel, known for his devotion and the story of his mother's curse.
180. 'Illiyin : The highest station in Paradise, mentioned in the Qur'an (83:18-19).
181. gnostics : Arifun: those who have direct knowledge of Allah through spiritual unveiling.
182. month of land : This appears to be a reference to a specific month or term; possibly a mis-transcription or obscure reference.
183. Basin : Al-Hawd: the Prophet's Basin in Paradise from which his followers will drink on the Day of Judgment.
184. تَحَابُّوا فِي اللَّهِ : Love one another for the sake of Allah; a concept of mutual love based on faith.
185. مَنَابِرَ مِنْ نُورٍ : Pulpits of light; a reward for those who love each other for Allah's sake.
186. وَاصِلٌ بِفِرَاقِ : Union with separation; a paradoxical state in Sufi love poetry.
187. أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ : Abu al-Qasim; a kunya of the Prophet Muhammad.
188. الْعَمِيمِ : Abundant; referring to Allah's extensive gifts.
189. إِبْلِيسُ : Iblis; the name of Satan in Islam.
190. الْمُوَحِّدِينَ : Those who affirm the oneness of Allah; monotheists.
191. bi-hi : Refers to the high station mentioned earlier, possibly the station of the Prophet or a spiritual rank.
192. al-darajatu al-rafī'atu : The high station or degree, likely referring to a spiritual rank or the station of the Prophet Muhammad.
193. mā ijṭama'a : A phrase indicating that hope and fear do not gather together in the heart at death except that God grants the hoped-for and averts the feared.
194. al-karāmah : Honor or dignity, here referring to the special treatment of those who grow old in Islam.
195. al-kātibīn : The recording angels who write down deeds.
196. al-aḥqāb : Long periods of time, here referring to those who reach eighty or ninety years.
197. nusran : A vulture; the hadith uses this as an example of something to overlook, symbolizing leniency.
198. Yā Wārwara : A name or title, possibly a person or an angel; unclear in context.
199. al-muzayyanīn : Those who are adorned, possibly referring to those who beautify themselves with good deeds or outward piety.
200. al-ṣiddīqīn : The truthful ones, a high rank of believers, often referring to those who are extremely veracious.
201. tawba : Repentance; turning back to Allah from sin with regret, cessation, and resolve not to return.
202. tawwābūn : Those who frequently repent; the plural of tawwāb, one who turns back to Allah repeatedly.
203. Yawm al-Jumu'a : Friday; the weekly congregational day of worship in Islam, literally 'day of gathering'.
204. quṭb : Pole or axis; in Sufism, the highest spiritual authority, the 'pole' around whom the spiritual world revolves.
205. ghusl : Full ritual washing of the body, required for major impurity and recommended for Friday and other occasions.
206. imām : Leader; here referring to the Prophet Muhammad as the foremost leader of the merciful and forbearing.
207. sulṭān : Sultan; authority or ruler; here used metaphorically for the Prophet's supreme authority over all realms.
208. adhan : The Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin to announce the time for prayer.
209. sakarat al-mawt : The agonies or pangs of death; the severe pain and difficulty experienced at the moment of death.
210. intahā : Arabic phrase meaning 'end of quote' or 'the narration ends here'.
211. imam : Leader of the congregational prayer; here, the ruler or leader of the Muslim community.
212. zakat : Obligatory alms-giving, one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
213. hajj : Pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
214. Tihamah : A coastal region in the Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca and Jeddah.
215. Najd : A central region of the Arabian Peninsula, including Riyadh.
216. dinar : A gold coin; historically a unit of currency.
217. dirham : A silver coin; historically a unit of currency.
218. sa' : A unit of volume, approximately 2.5-3 kg of grain.
219. mudd : A unit of volume, approximately 0.5-0.75 kg of grain.
220. siwak : A teeth-cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree.
221. Anas : Anas ibn Malik, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad.
222. Surat al-Kahf : Chapter 18 of the Quran, 'The Cave'.
223. Ha Mim al-Dukhan : Chapter 44 of the Quran, 'Smoke'.
224. Ya Sin : Chapter 36 of the Quran.
225. the family of Imran : Chapter 3 of the Quran, 'The Family of Imran'.
226. mihrab : A niche in a mosque indicating the direction of prayer.
227. Ta Ha : Chapter 20 of the Quran.
228. Surat al-Furqan : Chapter 25 of the Quran, 'The Criterion'.
229. al-Fath : Chapter 48 of the Quran, 'Victory'.
230. al-Hujurat : Chapter 49 of the Quran, 'The Private Apartments'.
231. tawhid : The oneness of God; Islamic monotheism.
232. Those messengers... degrees : Quran 2:253.
233. Surat al-Duha : Chapter 93 of the Quran, 'The Morning Hours'.
234. Surat Nun : Chapter 68 of the Quran, 'The Pen'.
235. al-Qalam : Another name for Chapter 68 of the Quran, 'The Pen'.
236. al-quṭb : In Sufism, the 'Pole' or 'Axis' is the highest-ranking saint in a given era, around whom the spiritual world revolves.
237. ḥaḍrat Allāh : The Divine Presence; a Sufi term for the station of proximity to God.
238. sālikīn : Wayfarers on the spiritual path (sulūk) in Sufism.
239. al-ism al-aʿẓam : The Greatest Name of God, believed to be the most powerful name through which prayers are answered.
240. ṣiddīqīn : The truthful ones; a high rank of saints who are completely truthful in faith and action.
241. mūqinīn : Those who have certainty; believers who have attained unwavering faith in God's truths.
242. awliyā' : Saints or friends of God; those who are close to Him through piety and devotion.
243. aqṭāb : Poles or spiritual axes; the highest ranking saints in the Sufi hierarchy who are the spiritual centers of their time.
244. awtād : Pegs; a rank of saints who are like spiritual pillars supporting the world.
245. sūwar al-mathānī : The repeated verses; a reference to the seven oft-repeated verses of Surah al-Fatiha or the Quranic chapters.
246. ḥaḍra rabbāniyya : Divine presence; the spiritual station of being in God's presence.
247. mamlaka sulṭāniyya : Sovereign kingdom; the spiritual dominion of the Prophet Muhammad.
248. Riḍwān : The angel keeper of Paradise.
249. ʿārifīn : Gnostics; those who have direct knowledge of God through spiritual experience.
250. Firdaws : The highest level of Paradise.
251. Dajjal : The Antichrist in Islamic eschatology, a false messiah who will appear before the Day of Judgment.
252. ṣaḥīḥ al-athar wa al-sanad : Refers to a hadith that is authentic (ṣaḥīḥ) in both its text (athar) and chain of transmission (sanad).
253. baḥr al-fayḍān wa al-madad : Metaphor for the Prophet Muhammad as an ocean of overflowing spiritual abundance and divine supply.
254. al-Rayyān : One of the gates of Paradise, specifically for those who fasted, from the root 'rayy' meaning 'quenched' or 'satisfied'.
255. muqarrab : A person brought near to God, often used for angels or saints of high rank.
256. al-sarāh : Plural of sārī, meaning noble or eminent persons, often referring to the elite of a community.
257. taʿnū lahu al-zuwār : Visitors bow or show humility before him, indicating his high status.
258. qalb al-sunnah : Literally 'heart of the year'; Ramadan is considered the spiritual core of the year.
259. īmānan wa iḥtisāban : With faith (īmān) and seeking reward (iḥtisāb), i.e., sincerely for God's sake.
260. zakāt al-fiṭr : The obligatory alms given at the end of Ramadan, also known as ṣadaqat al-fiṭr.
261. majlis al-dhikr : A gathering for the remembrance of God, often involving recitation of Qur'an, prayers, and praises.
262. Laylat al-Qadr : The Night of Decree, a night in the last ten days of Ramadan when the Qur'an was first revealed, better than a thousand months.
263. al-mawqif : The Standing, referring to the Day of Resurrection when all creatures stand before God for judgment.
264. Saʿīd : Probably a reference to a noble lineage, possibly Sa'd or Sa'id, but context unclear.
265. Muḍar : One of the major tribal groups of the Arabs, from which the Prophet Muhammad descended.
266. ghadan : Literally 'tomorrow,' often used in religious poetry to refer to the Day of Judgment or the afterlife.
267. ra'aha : The pronoun 'her' likely refers to the vision of the Prophet Muhammad in a dream or a spiritual state, a common theme in Sufi poetry.
268. al-Hashimi : Referring to the Prophet Muhammad's lineage from the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe.
269. nafahat : Divine effusions or spiritual outpourings, a Sufi term for graces and blessings from God.
270. hur : Houris, the beautiful, pure companions in Paradise promised to the righteous.
271. wildan : Immortal youths, servants in Paradise who attend to the believers.
272. Quran 39:53 : A verse from the Quran emphasizing God's mercy and forgiveness for all sins.
273. Ashura : The 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, a day of fasting and commemoration.
274. al-ashr : The ten days, likely referring to the first ten days of Muharram, culminating in Ashura.
275. al-Mustafa : The Chosen One, a title of the Prophet Muhammad.
276. Hashimi : Belonging to the Hashim clan of Quraysh, the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad.
277. tanzil : The sending down of revelation, referring to the Quran.
278. wasiyya : A will or testament, here referring to a written document of one's final wishes or counsel.
279. mahram : A male relative whom a woman is permanently forbidden to marry, such as father, brother, son.
280. Anas ibn Malik : A prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad, known for narrating many hadiths.
281. Abu Hurayra : A companion of the Prophet Muhammad, known for narrating the most hadiths.
282. zahid : A renunciant or ascetic, one who abstains from worldly pleasures for the sake of Allah.
283. surahs : Chapters of the Quran.
284. al-mutazawwimun : Those who are prepared or equipped, possibly referring to those who are spiritually ready.
285. ighzuruhum : Strive against them, possibly meaning to engage in jihad or struggle against them, but context suggests dealing with rulers.
286. sunna : The established practice and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
287. al-hafizan : The two recording angels, Kiraman Katibin, who record deeds.
288. al-dhikr al-rafi' al-munzal : The exalted remembrance sent down, referring to the Quran or the remembrance of Allah.
289. al-‘arḍ al-‘aẓīm : The Great Presentation refers to the Day of Judgment when all deeds are presented before Allah.
290. siwāk : A teeth-cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree, traditionally used for oral hygiene and recommended in Islamic teachings.
291. Sūrat al-Kahf : Chapter 18 of the Quran, 'The Cave'.
292. Sūrat al-Raḥmān : Chapter 55 of the Quran, 'The Most Merciful'.
293. Sūrat al-Ṭāriq : Chapter 86 of the Quran, 'The Night-Comer'.
294. Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ : Chapter 112 of the Quran, 'Sincerity'.
295. Āyat al-Kursī : Verse 255 of Surah al-Baqarah (Chapter 2), known as the Throne Verse.
296. Sūrat al-Mulk : Chapter 67 of the Quran, 'The Sovereignty'.
297. Ṣalāt al-Ḍuḥā : The mid-morning supererogatory prayer, typically performed after sunrise.
298. sab‘īn : Seventy, a number often used in Islamic texts to indicate abundance, not necessarily literal.
299. siwāk : A reference to the Prophet Muhammad, meaning 'other than you' (i.e., other than the Prophet).
300. al-bāqiyāt al-ṣāliḥāt : The enduring good deeds, a Quranic term (18:46) referring to phrases like Subhan Allah, etc.
301. wa lil-mustaghfirīna mithlu dhālika : And for those who seek forgiveness, the same (i.e., twenty good deeds per letter).
302. wāfiyā : Full, complete (reward).
303. wa ‘aqībihi : And his offspring, descendants.
304. laqqinhum iyyāhu : Instruct them in it, teach it to them.
305. thumma tā ṣana‘a : Then He will accept from him (the best of what he did). The text is slightly unclear; likely means 'then He will accept from him'.
306. ‘Illiyīn : The highest ranks of Paradise, mentioned in Quran 83:18-19.
307. ḥadd : A fixed punishment prescribed by Islamic law for certain crimes, such as theft, adultery, or false accusation.
308. Barzakh : The intermediate state between death and the Day of Resurrection, where souls await judgment.
309. Quṭb : In Sufism, the spiritual pole or axis, the highest-ranking saint in the hierarchy of saints, often considered the spiritual leader of the age.
310. shahāda : The Islamic declaration of faith: 'There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.'
311. yugharghir : The gurgling sound made at the moment of death, indicating the final stage before passing.
312. suwayda' : The blackness or core of the heart, considered the seat of spiritual perception.
313. khaym : Literally 'tent'; here metaphorically meaning the heart's dwelling or abode.
314. Quran 6:54 : The verse from Surah Al-An'am.
315. wasilin : Those who have attained union with the Divine, a term in Sufism for saints who have reached spiritual perfection.
316. ruhban : Monks or ascetics; here referring to the devout servants of Allah.
317. Quran 23:60-61 : Paraphrased from Surah Al-Mu'minun.
318. dhayl al-himam : Literally 'the hem of determination'; a metaphor for clinging to resolve and steadfastness.
319. munajat : Intimate, whispered conversation with Allah, often in prayer.
320. Quran 32:16 : From Surah As-Sajdah.
321. Quran 32:16 : Continuation of the same verse.
322. Quran 2:184 : From Surah Al-Baqarah.
323. Quran 24:37 : From Surah An-Nur.
324. Quran 59:9 : From Surah Al-Hashr.
325. Quran 76:8 : From Surah Al-Insan.
326. suluk : Spiritual wayfaring or journeying towards Allah, a key concept in Sufism.
327. Note : The text includes a lengthy supplication and poetic verses; the translation continues.
328. admu' al-abwab : Literally 'tears of the doors'; a poetic expression for abundant weeping.
329. ghayb : The unseen; here meaning the unknown fate in the Hereafter.
330. basṭ al-ri'atayn : Literally 'spreading the two lungs'; a metaphor for breathing or speaking, possibly referring to idle talk.
331. saqatahu : Literally 'dropped it'; here meaning that Allah has removed or nullified the reward for that remembrance.
332. al-Muhammad : The Prophet Muhammad, often referred to with honorifics in Islamic tradition.
333. Qays ibn 'Asim : A companion of the Prophet Muhammad, known for his wisdom and eloquence.
334. istakmala al-iman : Perfected faith; a concept in Islam referring to the completion of one's faith through certain actions and attitudes.
335. matlubah : That which is sought; one's desired goal or objective.
336. shubuhat : Doubts or ambiguities, often referring to matters of religious uncertainty.
337. Qur'an 42:40 : A verse from the Qur'an: 'The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto, but whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is with Allah.'
338. usud al-layl : Lions of the night; a metaphorical expression for devout worshippers who pray and engage in spiritual practices during the night.
339. awliya' Allah : Friends of Allah; saints or those who are close to God, often used in Sufi contexts for those who have attained a high spiritual station.
340. mathulat : Exemplary punishments; divine retribution or chastisements that serve as lessons.
341. khalaf : Successors; those who come after, often referring to later generations in a chain of transmission or spiritual lineage.
342. quṭb : A spiritual pole or axis in Sufism, the highest ranking saint in a given era.
343. waraʿ : Scrupulous piety; abstaining from anything doubtful or forbidden.
344. al-rafīq al-aʿlā : The Highest Companion, referring to the Prophet Muhammad or the highest station in Paradise.
345. al-mawāhib al-ladunniyya : Divine gifts or graces bestowed directly by God without intermediary.
346. Ibn Mas'ud : Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a prominent companion of the Prophet Muhammad, known for his knowledge of the Quran and hadith.
347. The Messenger of Allah : The Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him.
348. his : Refers to the Prophet Muhammad.
349. hadith : A saying or tradition of the Prophet Muhammad.
350. he : Refers to the Prophet Muhammad.
351. his : Refers to the Prophet Muhammad.
352. hadith : A saying or tradition of the Prophet Muhammad.
353. Kalila wa Dimna : A collection of fables originally from Indian and Persian sources, translated into Arabic by Ibn al-Muqaffa'.
354. Best of Creation : A title for the Prophet Muhammad.
355. four humors : In medieval medicine, the four bodily fluids (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile) believed to determine health and temperament.
356. Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Muhammad al-Tadili : The scribe or author of the manuscript, with a lineage tracing back to the saint Abd al-Rahman al-Wajni.
357. Abd al-Rahman al-Wajni : A righteous saint and scholar, ancestor of the scribe.
358. Muhammad al-Salih : A righteous saint and scholar, father of Muhammad al-Mu'ti.
359. Muhammad al-Mu'ti : The author of the book, son of Muhammad al-Salih.
360. Marrakesh : A city in Morocco, known as a historical and cultural center.
361. Dhu al-Hijjah : The twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which the Hajj pilgrimage takes place.
362. 1303 : The year 1303 AH (Anno Hegirae), corresponding to 1886 CE.